Unreal
by Courtney Lott
Summary: Strange things have been happening in the Night World. Ordinary humans are developing strange powers. The Council has decided these special humans will be apart of the secret society. But how will one boy adjust to these new laws? DV/NW
1. In the Beginning

Chapter 1: In the Beginning

Summary: Dakota Stevens was a normal teenager...until now. 

Author's notes: The idea for this story came to me after hearing about a few books by L.J. Smith. I tried to keep it loosely based on her books without completely ripping her off. This story is sort of a mix between the Dark Visions Trilogy and the Night World series. The night people have followed the same set of rules for centuries, but some strange things have been happening within the past few years...Humans have been gaining special powers/abilities. The Council has decided that they will be included in the secret society, and therefore follow the laws. The laws being...

Never let humans find out about their existence.

Never fall in with a human. 

***

Dakota Stevens drew in a breath of sharp cool air and surveyed the white trail ahead of him. Huge bumps rose in the snow and a large drop off, perfect for a good long jump, appeared some fifteen feet down. A grin pulled hard at the corners of his mouth and he almost shivered with the thrill. 

He lived for this. 

Shooting down the mountainside with his friends, dodging trees, and jumping into the air. As soon as snow hit the ground he would get a shiver that ran through his whole body. He yearned to test himself, to challenge his nerves, to fly through the air with nothing between himself and the ground. He never remembered a time in his life when he had not been well acquainted with the slopes. His snow board was apart of his body. Every winter he and his friends would get up at an ungodly hour and be the first on the slopes. They would stand at the top of the Colorado mountains and absorb the glory of God's creation. 

Not another soul could be seen on the slopes, and the stars were just now fading from the sky. It sent the blood pounding through Dakota's veins and he loved it.   


He had always felt held down, as if something deep inside wanted to break out, like a caged animal. At times on the slopes he felt that he could fly, if he could just reach for something. He did not know exactly what he needed to reach for, but he felt it, and he wanted it. One day he would grasp it and then no one could hold him back, all the world would be his to explore. 

One day. 

He did not know exactly what day, but it would happen one day.   


"You ready for the slopes bud?" A female voice asked.   


Dakota turned and felt his face warm as his eyes stopped on Julia Robinson, the snow angel. He knew it sounded corny, but every time he happened to look in her direction, that was what she reminded him of. His knees trembled and he felt his tongue grow thick in his mouth. It seemed ridiculous, he had known her since before they could even walk, but he felt that way just the same. 

Finally, he cleared his throat. "'Course I am, you ready Jules?"   


"Sure, I bet I can beat you down." She smiled.   


"Is that a challenge?" Dakota asked.   


Julia nodded. "But we'd better make sure Alex can get down too, this is a black diamond." She waved her gloved hand at the other boy sliding near them.   


His nose had turned red and his teeth chattered a bit, "Speak for yourself Jules, y'all are gonna eat my dust as I cruise down this baby hill." A self assured grin took over his face. 

Alex had moved to Colorado when he was nine, but had picked up snow boarding very quickly, almost as quickly as he picked up girls. Even at nine Alex had been somewhat of a ladies man.   


"Alex, you're not in Texas anymore, there is no dust." And with that, Dakota flew from their spot on the hill. His board crunched onto the snow and he nearly disappeared down the slope. 

***  


Julia and Alex glanced at each other and then sped off after their friend. The wind cut their faces as they whooshed past the trees and skimmed over bumps. 

Far ahead, Dakota seemed a blur of black and blue. 

Despite the cold, Julia felt sweat rolled down her back. She bent down to try and catch up with Dakota. The wind froze her cheeks and nose. Dakota grew larger as she neared him. Just as she passed him up the drop off appeared in front of her. In the heat of the race she had forgotten about it and she did not see the rock at the tip of the drop. The nose of her board hit the rock and she toppled forward head first toward the snow. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dakota reach out to steady her. Julia shut her eyes waiting to land on her head.   


***

A tingle had started in the pit of Dakota's stomach and worked it's way to the tips of his fingers and back of his neck as he watched Julia loose her balance and flip over. The tension built up like a thousand tiny ice crystals, little balls of energy, bumping and jolting all together, trying to force their way out of his body. 

As he cleared the jump he reached out, somewhere in his mind a voice cried , "Stop her from falling!"

And then, all the little balls of energy burst out from his fingers and literally stopped Julia in midair. 

He hit the ground, slid to a stop, and stared up at Julia who hung suspended in the air by millions of invisible balls of energy. She opened her eyes and looked down, then at Dakota, who still had his hand up. He still felt the energy shooting through his body, warm and fast. They continued to stare a one another. The realization of what they at least thought had just happened. 

A puff of snow showered off the top of the mound as Alex jolted to stop.   


"Wow, Julia's flying!"   


"I'm not doing this," Julia said.   


Alex looked at Dakota. "Put her down," he said.   


"How do you know it's me?" Dakota asked. "It could be you."   


Alex pointed to Dakota's out stretched hand. 

Dakota sighed. "I guess you're right. But how on earth did I do that?"   


"This is all fine and dandy boys, but I would appreciate being let down-slowly," Julia said.   


"Well, if I knew how to let you down, I would," Dakota retorted.   


"Just let your hand go down, very slowly," Alex suggested.   


In other instances, Dakota would have asked Alex why he thought he knew so much, but under the circumstances he decided to try the suggestion out. He licked his lips and, after making sure that they had no other observers, motioned downward with his gloved hand. 

Julia floated to the snow; just like a snow-angel. She righted herself and stared at Dakota. 

He took off his glove and stared at his hand. It looked the same as it had that morning, no weird colors or anything, only his normal hand. He was a freak! This morning he had been perfectly normal, and now...now he did not know what would happen. He would probably end up under a microscope in some crazy lab, or in the circus or something. Everyone would think he was a freak. And what about his parents? And what about Julia? But his doubts about her crashed to the ground as she tackled him onto the snow.   


"This is so cool! You're like...Superman! I always saw you as sort of a Superman, but now you can be the world's Superman!" Suddenly, she realized that she was sitting on top of him. She looked up at Alex who stared at them with his nose wrinkled. Julia pushed herself back up and held out a hand. 

For a moment Dakota could only look at it. He really had not expected her to react the way she had, and he felt altogether confused. Why did she understand everything? He did not know whether he should be completely annoyed or wonderfully relieved. Finally, he reached out and took her hand, but then he did not know what to do. One could not simply go about their business after an experience like the one he had just had. He had to do something else, but what? 

Dakota slid off to the side of the slope into the trees and out of sight. 

Alex and Julia followed silently. 

They came out onto a little hill with a rock. Behind, the trees hid them completely, but in front, they could see the most magnificent scene. Across the little white valley covered in tiny pine trees, a mountain rose to cover nearly everything. The rising sun outlined it making it appear heavenly, ethereal.   


Julia glanced at Alex, and when she realized that he would not say anything she clamped her own mouth shut. When Alex Crammer thought no words needed to be said, no word needed to be said. But then, Dakota spoke;   


"It's amazing what a little bit of light can do to a seemingly ordinary object." He glanced back at his two friends, then slid over to the rock and sat down. His lavender eyes concentrated hard on something at Julia's feet. She looked down and watched as a small gray lump seemed to grow bigger. The snow rolled off of it as it emerged. In other parts of the snow more gray lumps rose. Finally, a bolder rose from the white powder. 

Julia watched as it floated maybe two feet above the ground toward Dakota. 

It dropped. Dakota rubbed his head. It felt like working a muscle too hard. He trembled with slight fatigue but smiled at his accomplishment. 

"It's a little harder than I thought," Dakota said. "But hey, at least now I know it wasn't just temporary."   


Alex grinned. "Well hey, something like this doesn't happen everyday. You can't just go about your business when you've had an experience like this man. Let's go celebrate, brunch is on me!"   


"Sounds good," Dakota said. He never argued when someone offered to buy him a meal, and Alex was not a penny-pincher.   


When they cleared the trees Julia hopped onto the slope. "Beat ya down!" She yelled.   


"Be careful this time!" Dakota laughed.   


/Dakota, we'll talk later/   


Dakota looked at Alex. He had just spoken, but not out loud. 

/Alex?/   


Alex nodded, acknowledging the communication. 

/Later./ 


	2. Wake Up Call

Chapter 2: Wake Up Call

Summary: Alex and Dakota talk about the events of yesterday.

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The clock blinked 12:00, 12:00, 12:00 but Dakota could not bring himself to move an inch. Not only had he, Alex and Julia spent the rest of their day on the slopes, but also when he got home he had practiced his new powers alone in his room for four hours. 

His body felt completely drained. 

The last thing he had moved with his mind had been his alarm clock. Unfortunately it had unplugged and he could not figure out how to fix the time with his mind.   
  


I'll get up and fix it in a minute, he thought. 

His eyes wondered to his crescent window. He could see the soft snow floating to the ground. The yellow light from his back porch glinted off the ice crystals; they looked beautiful. Dakota could lie in bed forever, or at least at this moment he felt he could. The ache in his limbs had dulled, sunk into the mattress, his body melted and warmed in the heavy, thick blankets. 

Heaven, he thought, must be close to this. The lids of his eyes drew close together, he sighed.   
  


Light stabbed him as his door swung open. 

"Hey, Dakota time to talk."   
  


Alex. 

Dakota half moaned half cried as his friend slammed the door shut and jumped onto his bed. All the warmth and comfort hissed out of the bed and his body. 

"Why, now? Why not tomorrow?" He mumbled.   
  


"Because...it just has to be now," Alex insisted. 

  
Dakota sighed crossed his arms. 

Alex could talk all he wanted but Dakota refused to sit up. Maybe he could regain the comfort lost when Alex jumped on the bed. 

"So, fill me in." 

  
"OK, as I guess you can tell, you're not the only one with powers. There are hundreds, possibly millions of people like us, and the great thing is all of them have sort of formed our own little world within the...world. We have a Counsel, who are kind of like the government. They make the rules and stuff. Some are kinda nuts and I think may have plans to take over the world, but who wouldn't when you're like hundreds of years old and-" 

  
"Wait, wait, did you just say hundreds of years old?" Dakota asked. "Alex have you been smoking something?" 

  
A strange looked washed over Alex's face, but then passed and he went on. "Dude, that's the great thing, when you get your powers, you like don't physically age ever again, and you live to be like...hundreds of years old, you're not immortal or anything, but you live a whole lot longer than a normal person. And man, you've gotta come meet this chick named Karma. She's really hot, even though she's like 200 years old. And I guess you'll have to meet the Counsel and learn all their dumb rules and stuff, but they're not too hard to follow. When can you go?" 

  
Dakota blinked, feeling extremely stupid. All the information Alex had just thrown at him felt cramped inside his already aching head. Counsel? 200 years old? Information overload. "So when, uh- I mean where is the Counsel?" 

  
"Well, the big meeting place is in The Gulf of Mexico, but amazingly enough, they have a meeting place out in the mountains and they're having a meeting tomorrow." Alex said.   
  


"Sure, fine, why not, let's go tomorrow." Dakota mumbled. "What time?" 

  
"Well, we need to leave around lunch time because then we can get there by one- that's when they have time to meet 'new members'," Alex said. 

  
"How are we going to get there, neither of us can drive," Dakota asked. 

  
"I'll call someone, just leave it to me." Alex replied. 

  
Dakota rolled his eyes, but nodded. Then he thought of something. "Alex, what are your powers?" 

  
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I can read people's minds and make them do what I want them to do, when I want them to do it. Well, at least I can make a 'weaker' mind do what I want them to do. There's no way I could control a counsel member's mind." 

Alex explained that he got his powers during his first kiss. He had been wishing he knew what the girl was thinking and suddenly, he did. He could hear every thought that passed through her head. Alex nearly flipped out, but then caught himself. Later that week the girl Karma had found him and told him all about the hidden world and had introduced him to the Counsel, and tomorrow, Alex would do the same for Dakota.


	3. The Rúnder

Chapter 3: The Rúnder

Summary: Dakota arrives at the Council's base.

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The smell of heavy perfume made Dakota's eyes cross. 

That morning, around 11:55 he had met Alex and a very tall, very attractive woman on his front porch. 

Karma. 

She looked like an angel gone bad…very bad. 

Her eyes seemed to glow with blue electricity and the rest of her body appeared flawless. But Dakota saw something he did not like. He did not know what, but he knew there was something crooked about her. Now as they sat in her car she and Alex flirted shamelessly, and he truly felt his stomach flip. 

*          *          *

  
Alex himself felt a little car sick. Even though he and his family moved from Texas five years ago he still could not get used to the winding, winding, winding up, up, up the giant mountains. He tried to concentrate on his conversation with Karma; her laugh that floated out from her ruby lips like the tinkle of money, her electric eyes disappearing and reappearing behind her black lashes, her soft, white...hands. Alex glanced back at Dakota intending to say something but stopped. 

His friend's lavender eyes had fixed themselves to the trees in the canyon below. 

Sometimes Alex worried about Dakota. He did not act like a normal fifteen year old. He noticed things about people, situations, even minor things like books and movies that no one else did. Dakota had them figured out before they ended, and he could read people so well that at one time Alex truly thought that he was a psychic, but then he would search his mind and discover nothing. 

It puzzled him. 

Alex looked out the window and watched the trees for a moment, trying to see what Dakota saw, but soon got bored and more sick so he looked straight ahead again. 

*          *          *

  
"Is something wrong cutie?" Karma asked, her thick British accent floating through the car to the back seat. 

  
"Nope, just enjoying the view." Dakota did not even turn his gaze from the window.   
  


"He's not much of a talker is he?" Karma said to Alex.   
  


"Well, sometimes he is, but others." Alex shook his head. "I don't know, some times he acts weird.

   
Dakota smiled. "Sometimes it's nice to just sit and be quiet Alex. To gaze out and absorb God's creation, see the beauty he created." He zoned out again, getting lost within his thoughts. 

The evergreens peaked their tops out of the white frosting as they sped by them and every once and a while a rabbit popped out from behind them, wrinkle it's nose, and zipped off as the car whizzed past. Up ahead he saw a deer poke its head out from a rock. It's great antlers protruded as massive weapons from its head and its soft, brown eyes scanned the road unblinking. Beside it a smaller deer, probably its baby, pushed its nose through the snow, but held back, waiting for his father. 

Dakota looked back at the buck. 

As it stepped out into the open he could see his muscular shoulders ripple. So much power, and all to protect his child. Dakota knew that if necessary he would give his life for his son. 

Something to think about, he thought. 

Soon, the two animals turned and melted back into the woods, not daring to cross the road while Karma was on it. 

  
When they reached the top of the mountain they beheld a large beautiful building. It looked like a very expensive ski resort called "The Rúnder". Dakota had never heard of it before. Millions of people dressed in the best ski gear ran around and stood in line for the lift and dozens of expensive cars dotted the parking lot but Karma sped past them. They rounded the side of the building and drove around to the back. Karma smashed a button that looked like a garage door opener, with her thumb. The ground began to tremble and in front of them a ramp appeared. They descended into darkness. Behind them the ramp slammed shut. 

  
Karma and Alex hopped out of the car, and Dakota followed. As soon as their feet touched the ground the lights spread through the large room starting at the floor and moving to the ceiling. 

Dakota looked around and realized that it wasn't a room at all, but a large parking garage with even more expensive cars than they had seen above ground. He stared around the garage scanning the cars. How could they possibly afford these cars? He wondered. 

  
"Are you coming, Darling?"   
  


Dakota turned to see that Karma and Alex had already started down the long path to the door. 

"Sorry," he replied, and caught up with the two. 

Well, if expensive cars are the weirdest things I have to see, I think I'll be okay, Dakota thought. At least the garage is relatively normal.   
  


When they reached a door in a big pillar, Karma put her finger on a little pad. The white door slid to the left and they walked into a white room. It looked very clean and had no windows. They pushed past two glass doors and began down a long white hallway.


	4. Watchful Eyes

Chapter 4: Watchful Eyes

Summary: The Council's thoughts on the new arrival.

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"So that's the knew kid, huh?" 

  
Paul Rúnder nodded, but remained silent, his black eyes stuck to the boy following Karma and Alex down the hallway. He seemed totally oblivious that they were watching him from a two-way mirror. He seemed that way in appearance only however. Paul could see in his mind that he sensed that someone had their eyes on him. 

  
In fact, the whole counsel had their eyes on him, and a few other people. Some of which only had the privilege because they had been around so long, like David Austin. 

  
"Is something wrong Paul?" David asked. "You seem to have a strong distaste for this boy." 

  
"He seems too smart for his own good," Paul replied, still not taking his eyes off of Dakota.

   
"Maybe he's the one," another counsel member suggested. 

  
Paul's eyes grew dark and his jaw tensed. "Superstitious nonsense," he said quietly. 

  
David shook his head but did not say anything. He knew better than to argue with Paul, who had an extremely short temper. 

They had been friends once, a long time ago, but now...well, they were barely on speaking terms. David continued to watch Dakota. Unlike Paul, David liked him from the moment he walked through the white door. He saw something Paul could not see, Dakota's heart. Of course, had Paul been able to see into Dakota's heart he probably would have hated him more. In David's eyes Paul seemed to hate all sources of good and love in the world; he saw them as weaknesses. One day David hoped to show him that love was not a weakness, but a weapon.


	5. Council Meeting

Chapter 5: Council Meeting

Summary: Dakota meets the Council face to face.

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Dakota shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked into the large Medieval looking room. 

Long tapestries flowed across the stonewalls and from the ceiling hung a chandelier. Candles burning brightly. In the four corners of the room four very splendid chairs sat. All were made of pure wood that weaved in and out of each other in some way. Above each chair were small wrinkled scrolls with words he could not read from his position in the center of the room. In front of him the Counsel sat at a long stone table. The floor where the table had been placed was raised above the rest of the room as if to make anyone facing them feel quite small and inferior, as Dakota felt now. 

But he then looked over to the right of the table and saw a man leaning against the wall. 

The room did not have much light, but the little it did have, flickered in his black eyes and off his baldhead. Had he not had an amenable smile about his lips Dakota would have trembled at the very sight of him. But in fact, the smile put him at ease. 

  
"So Mr. Stevens, you have become one of us." 

Just a statement. 

It lead to nothing, no answer Dakota could think of. The man who addressed him truly made him shutter. No one thing about his appearance or voice could explain it, but he almost sounded like a voice from the grave. 

  
Dakota grinned at his own childishness. 

Why should he fear these people? 

They were just like him. 

At one time or another they had gone through the same thing. They had experienced the fear, the awe, and the surprise. 

They understood. He opened his mouth to speak but another counsel member stood. 

  
"Okay before we go any further we have to get on with the rules," the young man said. 

Dakota liked him immediately. His eyes held the young look of a teenager, though he figured if he was on the counsel he had to be pretty old. "So rule number one basically says the same thing as the U.S. government says; you know don't kill anyone or steal anything and you'll be okay. They second rule says that you can't use your powers for world domination or anything. The third rule, says that for safety reasons you can't tell a normal human about us, our society and stuff, and the fourth rule, which I think is an utterly ridiculous-" 

  
"Kristopher!" The man yelled. 

  
"Well anyway, it says, that you can't fall in love with a normal human. There are lots of other rules, but they don't apply unless you wanna be apart of the counsel," he finished. "Candice." 

  
A small redhead stood and smiled warmly at Dakota. "You have a few options here, you can stay and learn to develop your powers more and leave whenever you feel, or, we can assign to you one of our people who lives near by to help train you and you can continue to live at you home. You may tell you parents of your powers but no one else," she said. 

  
Dakota swallowed. Information overload for the second time that week. He also had Julia lurking in the back of his mind. 

She had been there when the power came out. 

No! 

She had brought the power out. 

What could he possibly do? But he had to make another decision at the moment. "Uh, I'd kind of like to live at home, if that's okay…" he said, fearing he sounded presumptuous. 

  
The girl smiled. "Then let me introduce you to your home tutor, David Austin." She motioned to the bald man in the corner. 

He stepped into the light and held out a large hand to Dakota. "He lives relatively close to you so it won't be a problem, for you two to meet." 

  
Dakota suddenly felt extraordinarily relieved as his hand disappeared into David's. Somehow he made everything all right.


	6. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 6: The Truth Comes Out

Summary: Dakota comes to some realizations about the laws.

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"So Dakota, what are you hiding?" 

  
Dakota glanced over at David, and his heart sped up. After Dakota had met the Counsel Karma had taken them back to Dakota's house. Now they sat on Dakota's back porch staring into the woods. Wind chimes sang as the wind ran its fingers through them. Every once in a while a rabbit or a squirrel would scurry across the yard, survey the two odd creatures sitting one the wood, and then scamper off, all the time it's little nose quivering. \

Dakota cleared his throat, "Hiding?" 

  
David nodded and leaned back in his chair, crossing his powerful arms over his big chest. He did not have to say much; one could understand what he meant by a move of his arm or a look in his eyes. Dakota knew very well that he could not lie to him, he would surly know, so he decided to come clean. 

  
"When I found out that I had my power, there was a girl with us, a normal girl. In fact, she was the reason I discovered my power in the first place." He stopped, his heart still pounding, then he looked to David. "What can I do? It's not her fault she saw it happen. And she's not going to tell anybody; Alex and I made her promise. I know her; she would not go back on her word. Besides, all she knows is that I have telepathy." 

  
A heavy sigh that came from down deep, escaped through David's lips. He rubbed his baldhead and then his chin. He seemed to be moving very slowly, like he was under water. The sounds of the forest grew louder while the silence between them increased. 

Dakota leaned forward, listening, waiting for an answer. He wanted desperately to spur David on to an answer, but he kept his mouth shut and tried to be patient, knowing that he already stood waist deep in trouble. 

Why did things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they just trust her to keep her mouth shut? 

Dakota had shared many secrets with her and not one had gotten out, and she had never been known to gossip. Besides, he would probably have a hard time keeping the secret himself. David stood and walked to the rail of the porch. 

  
"You do know that the penalty for this is death for Julia and a life sentence for you." 

  
Dakota slumped back in his chair; a great sinking feeling came over him. 

  
"However," David turned around. "You did not know of the rule when it happened, and even if you did you could not have stopped yourself from saving her. We can simply erase it from her mind." 

  
Dakota looked down. It seemed like the perfect solution, and yet, he hated the idea all together. For some reason, it felt that to erase this from her mind, they would be erasing apart of him that was in there. But what could he do? He certainly could not let them kill her, especially not for something that was not her fault.


	7. Angels and Wolves

Chapter 7: Angels and Wolves

Summary: Read and find out...

***

The sound of wolves howling resonated through the woods, and Julia shivered. No clouds hindered the pale moon's rays from reaching the earth, and the tiny white lights interrupted the endless, dark pool. 

  
"Don't worry Jules," Dakota reassured her. "You know as well as I do that we're close to my house, and my dad has a rifle. We'll be fine." 

  
The couple trotted down the embankment and their feet sunk in the snow. "I'm not scared, just cold." 

  
"Jules, you're always cold." Dakota laughed. "I can't believe you were born in Anchorage. Here." He draped his bulky ski jacket over her thin shoulders. 

  
"Thank you 'dahling'," Jules smiled up into his lavender eyes. 

  
"Well, my love, I can't allow you to catch a cold, now can I?" He wrapped his arm around her. The snow squeaked beneath their feet. 

  
"You sound like Thurston Howell the Third," Jules laughed, imitating the English accent. She brushed the snow flakes out of her eyes. The trees passed by like giant shadows looming at every side. 

  
"Yeah, too bad I don't have his bank account." 

  
The shivering howls, now closer, cut their laughter short. 

Dakota looked out into the dark of the woods. His eyes dashed back and forth searching for any movement. The wind forced the heavy arms of the pine trees closer to the earth. The snow glittered. 

  
"Babe...babe." Jules's small voice turned his head. Her green eyes widened as she listened to the howls grow louder. She took his arm, "Let's get back inside, even your powers may not help us here." 

  
"Yeah, that might not be such a bad idea," he turned in the direction of his house, but didn't get any further. A heavy object with claws hammered him face first into the ground. Teeth sunk into his shoulder. 

Julia's scream pierced the air. 

Dakota threw the thing off with his mind. It slammed against a tree. A wolf, like none he'd ever seen before, stood growling at him. It howled. Thousands of other voices answered the cry. 

  
Dakota pushed her forward, "Let's go, Jules," he yelled. But instantaneously something ripped her from his hand. He spun around ready to throw another wolf into a tree, but frigid hands gripped his neck. All power, supernatural and otherwise, left his body. 

He watched Julia whip around and kicked the wolf off. She grabbed a large stick from the ground and tried to beat it away. Wolves poured from the trees. Her cries echoed in Dakota's mind, and for a moment, he could not tell the difference between his screams and hers. 

But a new sound came. 

Gun shots. 

A large wolf fell. 

The hands that held his neck dragged him behind a tree, and Dakota watched as half the pack left their prey and ran towards the shot. He looked further on and saw his parents run from the house, down the porch and to the woods; his father waved the shot gun, and his mother held the phone in one hand and in the other a pistol. Hopefully she had gotten through to the police. 

  
"No," Dakota whispered hoarsely. "Go back, there're too many." But his warning was in vain, they could not hear him. 

  
His mother stopped at the mouth of the forest and his father ran at the pack. One by one the wolves leapt at him and one by one they fell. The pack's numbers slowly diminished and for a moment, Dakota's fears ebbed away. Angry howls quieted and blood stained the ground. Dakota's father glanced around the woods for more wolves. The hands around Dakota's throat squeezed harder and pulled him further back into the trees. 

  
"Where's Dakota?" His mother called, still close to the house. 

  
"I don't know," his father replied. "Stay there." He walked through the snow to Julia. 

She lay on her back in the snow; a mutilated angel. Her long, brown hair fell across the white powder and her green eyes stared unseeing at the sky. 

Mr. Stevens knelt down beside her. His head dropped for a moment. Then his big chest heaved and he slipped his fingers over her eyes. But an explosion and high pitched screams interrupted the moment. Mr. Stevens reeled around. More wolves had come from the woods. Mrs. Stevens already lay dead on the ground. Mr. Stevens ran towards them raising his gun to shoot again, but he was hit from behind. 

  
Dead? Dakota thought. They're all dead. He felt something inside him crumble and die along with them. 

  
"You should have left her alone Stevens." 

  
Dakota knew that voice. One so cold and cruel could only belong to one person. Xander Collins. 

  
Dakota struggled, but Xander had taken all his strength from him. He shut his eyes blocking out the site, but the screams remained in his ears. It's over, Dakota thought. Just let me die here. All I have left is... 

  
Then, something strange happened. He felt his strength return, and anger with it. 

Dakota shoved up from the ground and backed hard into a tree. 

Xander yelled and let go. 

Dakota turned around and slugged him in the stomach. 

Xander sunk to his knees grasping his stomach and glared up at Dakota through slit eyes. 

But another force at work dragged Dakota away. Soon, he found himself running toward the house. The thump of footsteps following Dakota forced him to run faster. Sirens and lights came over the hills near his house. 

His mother had gotten through! 

  
"I'll get you sooner or later Stevens, you just wait." Xander yelled. He ducked into the trees. 

  
Well, I won't be around to give you the pleasure; I'm outta here, Dakota thought.   



	8. A Secluded Haven

Chapter 8: A Secluded Haven 

Summary: Dakota copes with losing Julia. 

***

The wind brushed the blond hair away from Dakota's forehead. He tilted his eyes up and gazed at the sky as he dragged his feet through the damp grass. 

The sky amazed him. 

He could look up at it a thousand times and always glean something different. Always, he felt small in comparison to it, but tonight it especially captivated him. The black sky, bordering on deep blue, enveloped the expanse dotted with tiny bits of glitter. 

  
The sound of trickling water brought him back to the real world. He had reached the spot; a secluded place in the woods by a creek. The trees stood in a circle around a little dip that lead down to the flowing water. If you walked down the tiny slope you could hide from the world. No one would be able to see you until they stood right above you. 

Often Dakota had visited there to be alone, to think about all that had gone on, all the trouble he had gotten himself into, whether it had been worth it or not. Less often, he thought about how much he missed his parents. 

Constantly he fought off the nagging thoughts of Julia. Dakota slumped against the side of an old willow tree that stood a few feet from the lake, shut his eyes, and thought about the events of the past few months. 

  
Dakota raised his hand, his eyes still shut, and caught the rock that sped toward his face. He opened his eyes and had to look up. 

A man leaned against a large oak at the top of the slope, slapping the dust from his big hands. His dark eyes, the same strange black as the sky, rested on Dakota. His face; the chiseled face of a Greek statue that had seen two and a half millennia. Of course Dakota knew otherwise; only about four hundred. David, wise and powerful; he'd seen it all, and done it all, however, he still looked 24. 

  
"You're getting better. I'm impressed," he said. 

  
Dakota felt the voice work down to his core. It always had that effect on him, like deep rolling thunder. "Can I help you, David?" Dakota asked as he turned the rock over in his hand and examined its edges and colors. 

  
"You can be more careful about where you go," David said. "You have a very large price on your head. The Counsel wants you dead, or worse and they have spies everywhere. Just this week a group of werewolves moved into the area. Some of them may not turn you in, but others would." 

  
Dakota scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I could care less if I get caught." He paused and looked up. "It'd be a blessing. A life without my parents and Jules is worthless." 

  
David's eyes darkened and his eyebrows dipped. "Dakota Stevens, if you keep acting like this, then your parents died for no reason. They gave their lives for you." 

  
Dakota stood, let the rock go, and sent it speeding toward David's face with his mind. But faster than he could move, David sent it back with his mind and into Dakota's stomach. Dakota doubled over in pain and gasped for breath. He felt a large, gentle hand come to rest on his shoulder. 

  
"Don't feel responsible for your parents' or Jules' deaths; they loved you, and they knew that you would have done the same for them. And Jules knew you could not do anything. She knew about Xander's power..." 

  
"Now you see why it's my fault!" Dakota forced himself up and took a step in David's direction. "I shouldn't have told her, I should never have....I should never..." 

  
"Jules loved you and you loved her. The rule is wrong, you thought so yourself. Don't throw your life away because you feel guilty. If you do, then you'll be letting the Counsel win." David said. "And you'll be letting Jules down." 

  
He knew that he had a point. David always had a point. But Dakota wouldn't admit it, not out loud anyway. 

  
"Leave me alone." He stared at the ground. 

  
"At least promise me one thing," David continued. 

  
"What's that?" 

  
"That you won't just allow yourself to get caught." 

  
Dakota nodded, but his heart wished the opposite. Why couldn't it all just end?   



	9. Lie

Chapter 9: Lie

Summary: Xander Collins pays a visit to a relative of Dakota's. 

***

The lace curtains floated as the soft wind breathed into the room. Miss Angelina Strossburn sat in her old wicker chair reading her Bible. She glanced out the window at the night sky. The stars winked at her and she smiled. Her fire threw shadows on the walls from porcelain figurines and furniture. 

  
Oh Lord, she prayed. Please be with Dakota. I don't know where that boy is, but I know he's in trouble somehow. 

She smoothed the crinkled pages and sighed.

I hope that young man who came looking for him doesn't find him, she thought. She hadn't liked the way he tried to sweet talk her, and hated to lie, but there was something just a bit off about him. 

  
As the curtains floated down again, a figure suddenly appeared. 

A young man, very tall and well built stood in front of the window. His cold green eyes froze Miss Stossburn's heart as they turned to her. 

  
"What are you doing in my house, Mr. Collins?" She asked putting her book down on the bed. 

  
"You lied to me, Miss Strossburn, about Dakota's whereabouts." He faced her completely. "I hate liars." 

  
"I think you should go home, young man." She stood and picked up her walking stick.   


He moved closer. 

She took a swing and clocked him in the head. 

He grabbed the stick away and threw it out the window. 

"I'm going to give you one last chance." He took a hold of her wrists. "Where is he?"   


"Why do you want to know so badly?" She asked.   


"Just tell me where he is!"   


"I don't know, I don't know!"   


"You're lying." He paused and reached for her face. "That's too bad."   



	10. Skillful Planning

Chapter 10: Skillful Planning

Summary: Life can get lonely when you're in hiding. What will Dakota do?

***

Dakota sat in the musty old house and listened to rain beat on the windows. An angry black sky sent massive amounts of water down on the earth; the trees bent beneath the wind's fury as the leaves clung frantically to their stems. A flash of lighting brightened the living room and thunder rolled over the roof. 

  
In one corner an ancient Grandfather clock struck four, and the aroma of baked ham wafted in from the kitchen. 

Granny sang to herself, an old hymn. 

  
Alex hunched over a text book, at a roll top desk. 

  
Dakota formed shape number one thousand six hundred and forty-three out of twirling multi-colored marbles. They spun in the air--green, black, blue, and red--at the bequest of his mind. 

  
Alex looked up. "How long've you been doing that?" 

  
"Here I am cooped up in this haunted house all day, and I'm about ready to scream."   


"What you need is a social life." -

  
The marbles dropped to the carpet and scattered. "And just how do you propose accomplishing that?" 

  
"I've got it all figured out. Whenever I meet someone, and I meet a lot of someone's, I'll read their minds. If they're mortal, then no problem. They won't know the difference. If not, then they get left out." 

  
"It'll be some fun. 'Sorry, but I can't leave the house.'" 

  
Alex leaned back in the chair, his forehead wrinkled in thought. Suddenly he clapped his hands together. "I've got it." The legs of the chair hit the floor. "We can say that you are taking a break before college. And...." He sat up straighter. "...you're just too busy to leave the house. And we can have parties here, and--" 

  
"It's going to be hard to explain to anyone with half a brain why I can't go outside. Get real." 

  
"Oh come on. We can make up all kinds of excuses. Granny's a great one. You know, we can't leave her alone because she's too sick and my mom has to work. It makes the girls smile, how much we love my little old granny and all." 

  
"Fine, fine, whatever. Let's just make sure we get our stories straight before all the partyin' starts." Dakota rolled his eyes. 

  
Alex cracked his knuckles and rubbed his hand. "Okay, good. I'll grab the phone and start calling." 

  
"Just don't let that bunch of Super Squad nerds know about it." 

  
"They're not nerds, just a little strange. And I'll call Riley, and my friend Cody who has this friend, named Stephanie. She's hot." 

  
"Not now, no girls, mortal or not. It's too soon after--" Dakota felt his face turn red. "If you even think about that--" 

  
"No girls?" Alex shook his head. "No girls, then no social life for Dakota. So we'll forget about the girls for now, for you anyway. Me, I'm getting out my little black book." 

  
Go for it, Dakota thought. He reassembled the marbles form the far reaches of the old room and started them spinning again. What was the use of hiding? The future looked as black as the sky. 


	11. Late Night Caller

Chapter 11: Late-Night Caller

Summary: David makes a phone call.

***

Sephrim Mitchell jerked out of bed as a ringing sound jostled his eardrums. The cold, wood floor of his bedroom met his bare shoulder. He pushed himself up and reached for his cell phone. 

  
"Unless the end of the world is coming, I'm gonna hang up," he said to the caller. 

  
"This may very well be the end of the world, Sephrim. At least the end of ours. So if you hang up on me, I'm just gonna keep calling back." 

  
Sephrim leaned against the side of his bed as the blackness slowly dissipated and rubbed his sore arm. "David, hey, what's goin' on? I haven't heard from you in....well, a long time. Last thing I caught concerning you was that the Counsel had killed Dakota's...girlfriend and that he'd disappeared. Then you did too." He said. 

  
"Ah, so you have been paying attention to the news, eh?" 

  
"Oh course I have. Now would you like to inform me about what's going on in full detail? Where did you go? Do you know where Dakota is? Why haven't you run in and taken over the Counsel?" 

  
"Slow down! I can't tell you where Dakota is, I'm in Katy Texas and I have no desire to take over the Counsel - yet. Any other questions you have will be answered in time. But I will say that I need you to help us out a bit." David said. 

  
Sephrim rubbed the scar on his bare chest and yawned. "How exactly can I do that?" 

  
"Our two friends Xander Collins and Karma have been sent by the Counsel to look for Dakota-" 

  
"Xander Collins?" Sephrim asked. "That creep is doing work for the Counsel? Last time I heard from Xander Dakota had caught him in the act of killing someone for pleasure. Isn't he in jail, or on trial, or something?" 

  
"Yeah well, our leader Paul is willing to go to any depths to make sure that 'justice' is served, no matter how low." 

  
"Man I hate that jerk. How could anyone get him out of jail? His record is longer than my-" 

  
"Focus, Sephrim, I need you to find them. Slow them down if you can, but more importantly, make sure they don't hurt anyone while they're looking for Dakota. Though I'm afraid we might be too late to do that." 

  
"We have to be legal about this, don't we?" Sephrim asked disappointedly. 

  
"Absolutely, we're already in trouble as it is. We don't need any blood on our hands." 

  
"After what they did to Dakota's girlfriend you're tellin' me to keep my hands clean? I want to rip Collins limb from limb." He grinned evily. 

  
"I mean it Seph, hands clean. We can't sink to their level."   



	12. Memories and Dr Pepper

Chapter 12: Memories and Dr. Pepper

Summary: Alex invites some friends over and a small party ensues. 

PLEASE Read and Review!

***

Stephanie Johnson made her way up the stairs of the Ashley House apartments. 

The smell of barbecue wafted down on her from a balcony and the wind lifted her blond hair. Her friend's tennis shoes echoed and squeaked on the concrete. The throbbing of her heart filled her ears. At the door she tried to shrink into the shadows as her friend Cody knocked. Music played and the sound of dishes bumping each into other came from behind it. 

Cody looked back at Stephanie and smiled, her long blond hair struggled out of the pony tail. The door swung open and the music grew louder. A tall young man with brown hair and eyes stepped halfway out of the apartment and grinned. 

Alex. 

  
"What's up ladies? Come on in." 

  
Stephanie followed them and continued to try and hide behind Cody. Smells of Pizza and cookies thickly coated the room. Pictures hung from the walls and a grandfather clock ticked over in the corner. 

  
"This is Dakota." Stephanie heard Alex saying. 

  
She scooted in to get a better look. Her eyes widened. Dakota looked like a teenage heart throb. Blond hair, perfect tan skin, muscular arms. And then his eyes. Amazing eyes; lavender. Her mouth hung open as she stared. 

  
"This is Cordilia," Alex said sliding his arm around the short blond. 

  
The girl punched Alex in the ribs. "It's Cody." 

  
Dakota took her hand and smiled. "Hi." 

  
"And this is Stephanie." 

  
Those lavender eyes fell on her. The whole room seemed to focus on her. Her ears grew hot and she wished that she could crawl under the coffee table. But then he smiled and her pounding heart relaxed. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you." Stephanie asked extending a hand. 

  
"You too." 

  
"So what grade are you in?" Cody asked. 

  
"I graduated last year, actually." Dakota replied. Beautiful, he thought, his eyes still on Stephanie. Her blue eyes tugged at him. He could barely hear her voice above the music Alex had cranked up, but none the less the voice soothed him. "So Stephanie, when did you move here?" 

  
"About a year ago, maybe." She replied. "I didn't really meet anyone at first, in fact I just met Cody a few months ago. I'm a little shy, hid in the corners too often." 

  
They all drifted to the center of the living room. "Yup, we had to drag her out of her shell," Cody said. 

  
"Oh yeah, where'd you move from Stephanie?" 

  
"New York, before that I lived in Maine, and before that I lived in Colorado, army brat," Stephanie laughed. "So I have to ask, why aren't you going to college?" 

  
"Honestly, I just need a break... Alex's mom just feels that it would be a good idea for me to rest," Dakota shrugged. 

  
"Alex's mom? What about yours?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Oh, I didn't tell you...my parents died, just a few months ago." 

Their eyes locked again for a moment, then Dakota looked away. For a moment, they all stood with their mouths shut. The music was the only noise that penetrated the silence. 

  
Alex broke the pause. "So, you guys want something to drink?" 

  
Stephanie and Dakota declined but Cody was thirsty so she walked with Alex to the kitchen. 

Alex filled a red, plastic cup with ice. 

Cody reached for the two-liter of Dr. Pepper and unscrewed the top. 

Alex leaned closer to her and inhaled. Her perfume filled his nose and he shut his eyes moving away. 

Cody looked up. 

  
"Is something wrong Alex?" She whispered. 

  
Alex smiled as he filled his own glass with tap water. "Doing great, how 'bout you?"   
Cody shook her head, grinned and took a sip of her drink. "You are different." She commented. 

  
"What, me? Well let's see, the last time we saw each other you were still wearing pigtails and I still liked Power Rangers, so yeah, I guess we both have changed." He set his cup down and leaned against the counter. For a moment they did not speak. The memories that rushed through their minds made the whole world seem to stop. It made them wonder; if Alex had never moved how would it be now? 

Cody looked at Alex's face to search for some answers. He had changed, but not in the way he thought she meant. He had something to hide, but his face gave no indication as to what it was. 

A fist pounding on the door broke the trance. 

Alex made a dash to open it making some excuse about beating Dakota to it. But Cody knew he was only making an attempt to avoid her questions. 

  
Alex flung the door open to reveal two new faces; one ebony and the other a chocolate brown. He introduced them to Dakota as Danny and Brandy. 

  
Danny and Dakota shook hands. A wide smile spread across his exuberant face. "Hey Dakota, Alex's told me tons of stuff about you!" 

  
Dakota returned the smile. "Alex, what'd you tell him?"

  
"We better not talk about it around the ladies, you know what I'm sayin'?" Alex said giving Dakota a little crooked grin. 

  
Dakota grabbed him and hit him in the arm. The girls shook their heads and complained about boys always trying to kill each other. 

But then, Cody decided to join in the fun and went for Alex's weakness, messing up his perfectly spiked hair. 

Alex yelled and grabbed her ponytail, then it was on. 

Nearly paralyzed with laughter Cody was hoisted over Alex's shoulder with the two other girls making useless attempts at getting her down. Dakota and Danny pulled them away and eventually the whole group ended up on the floor in a big pile, laughing hysterically. 

Dakota rubbed his sore cheeks, it felt good to laugh again. He had not laughed his hard in a long time. 

Not since Julia died. 

He felt the pain hit again and scooted away from the hysterical group. The difference he felt from them overwhelmed him like a dense fog. Danny and Brandy, Cody and Alex all wrestled on the floor, but then, Stephanie popped her head out of the pile, her face bright pink with laughter, and something hit Dakota again. Something about her touched him. 

Was it her face? 

Her laugh? 

Her mere presence? 

He shook his head. Ridiculous, he said to himself. You've known her for five minutes, ridiculous.   



	13. Promises

Chapter 13: Promises

Summary: After Stephanie and Cody leave the get together, Dakota and the others are left to talk.

PLEASE Read and Review! Thanks to Layne for being such a devoted reader.

***

Danny, Brandy, Dakota and Alex sat on Alex's balcony. 

Stephanie and Cody had left and they felt that a long discussion was in order. 

Alex had explained the night before that Danny and Brandy both had powers just like he and Dakota. Brandy could talk to animals and Danny could control electricity and they were both against the rule Dakota had broken. 

  
"So what are y'all going to do?" Brandy asked. "I mean, not to be a pessimist or anything, but you can't hide forever." 

  
Dakota put a hand on his head and gazed up at the sky. 

No stars returned his glance. 

  
"Brandy," Alex laughed. "The voice of reason." 

  
A cat's meow made them jump. 

"This is pretty bad, we're afraid of a cat," Danny said. "But on a more serious note, y'all really do need a plan." 

  
Alex lit a cigarette, after asking permission of course, and rubbed his eyes. The long tails of smoke rose to the sky. He sighed. "Well, David is sort of the brains of the operation, and right now, he says to lay low." 

  
Danny glanced over at Dakota, then back at Alex, and then to Brandy. 

The events of the past few months were sobering. He had always taken it for granted that he and his girlfriend both had powers. Dakota's story forced him to recognize the problems that their counsel had, and how much he wanted to change things. So many rules had been made out of selfish ambition for the power hungry leaders. 

The sound of thunder broke his thoughts. 

Brandy suggested going inside but the others protested that it had not yet begun to rain, so they waited a little longer. The smell of water hung on the air brushing their noses.   


Danny leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked directly at Dakota, his dark brown eyes grim. "David's right, laying low is about all you can do right now, but as for me, I'll be on the lookout and do everything I can do, I guess, protect you, if possible." 

  
Dakota stared for a moment and then reached out a hand. "Thanks man." 

  
Brandy put her hand on the two of theirs. "That goes for me too."

"Just be careful," Dakota said. "I doubt they care who they kill." 

  
Lightning flashed across the sky, thunder shook the building, and rain began to pour.   



	14. Girl Talk

Chapter 14: Girl Talk

Summary: Cody and Stephanie have a little chat. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

Stephanie walked out into the bright sunshine. The sound of birds chit-chatting in the trees filled the air and the cold wind whipped the blond hair that stuck out of the hat she wore. Winter seemed to have decided to come early, especially for Texas. 

She reached her car and slid down into her front seat. As she rubbed her hands together for warmth, she turned her cell phone on. A knock on the window made her turn. 

  
"Hey Steph." Cody's muffled voice said. 

  
Stephanie rolled down the window. "Cody, hey, what's up?" 

  
"I need some help with my math homework," she said hopping on one leg to keep warm. 

"Could you come explain it to me?" 

  
"Sure," Stephanie replied. "Meet you at my house in a few minutes?" 

  
"Yeah, see ya there. Thanks." 

  
Stephanie rolled the window back up and drove to the line that had formed to get out of the school's parking lot. "Oh boy," she mumbled. "Traffic." 

  
Fifteen minuets later she finally completed the grueling journey home. She hopped out of her car and ran through the garage, warming her hands in her pockets, as she slammed the door to her house behind her. Just as she entered the house, Cody's knock echoed in the hall. Stephanie threw her backpack on the counter and ran to the door. The stinging air greeted her as she flung open it open. 

  
"Hey Steph. Thanks so much for your help, my gosh it's freezing." Cody flitted in. 

  
Stephanie agreed. 

  
Stephanie lit up the gas fire as Cody dropped her books on the sofa. "This house always smells so great," she commented. "Is it candles?" 

  
Stephanie dragged her backpack into the living room. "Yeah, vanilla, my favorite scent." 

They sank onto the floor, their stiff limbs slowly relaxing in the glow of the fire. "Cody, can I ask you a question before we start?" 

  
Cody looked up from her math book, her cheeks still flushed from the wind. "Ask away." 

  
"Do you like Alex?" 

  
Cody's eyes squinted and her eyebrows arched up. "Yes, but the question is how do you mean?" 

  
The tip of Stephanie's tongue pressed against her teeth. "Like, more than friends." 

  
Cody grinned. "Sweetheart, I haven't seen him since we were ten. I don't know him enough to like him that way." 

  
"But you did talk to him on the internet, didn't you?" Stephanie pressed. 

  
"Well, see, I did, but..." she paused and tapped her lips with her fingers. "OK, we were good friends at first, then somewhere along the line, he...grew distant." 

  
"How so?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Well, he would write me, but the letters were pretty superficial, ya know? I don't know how to explain it. That lasted a while, I guess, then, maybe a year or so ago he wrote me again. A real letter, a deep one, but at the same time, not deep. You know what I mean? I don't even know what I mean. Anyway, he apologized for the way he'd been acting and asked my forgiveness. He wouldn't tell me why he'd changed, or why he'd stopped writing. He just said he was sorry. So I feel like I don't know him, like...he's still hiding something from me. That's why it wasn't deep, because he wouldn't tell me why he had acted the way he did." Cody explained. "Why do you ask?" 

  
"I don't know," Stephanie said. "Just thinking about boys and stuff." 

  
Cody shook her head with a smile. "You think Dakota's a hottie, don't you?" 

  
"What? No, I-I mean, yes, but he's..." she licked her lips. "He's- I feel like I know him. He's so kind, but he seems...so..." 

  
"Hurt? Distraught? Preoccupied?" Cody suggested. 

  
"Yeah, all of the above, and lonely. He looked like he was having fun at Alex's house the other night, but half-hearted. I guess...he didn't look like he...no, he didn't feel like he should be allowed to have fun, ya know?" 

  
Cody nodded. "I understand what you mean," she said. "I suppose it's his parents and...well, I'd better not tell you, you can ask him." 

  
Stephanie stared into the golden flames of the fire. Her vision filled with the bright, glowing light and heat warmed her eyes. The warmth finally turned her away and she looked back at Cody. "Let's get to work on that homework." 

  
Cody laughed. "OK."   



	15. Nightmare

Chapter 15: Nightmare

Summary: Everyone is at Alex's house once more. While the others play cards Dakota and Stephanie get a little closer...

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

In the kitchen that night, at Alex's apartment, Alex, Cody, Brandy, and Danny played a card game and at brief intervals, screams would shake the plastic cups on the table. 

But Dakota and Stephanie, sitting away from the group living room, talking quietly. 

  
"It's a good thing that Alex's mom won't be home until eleven from work, otherwise I'd feel sorry for the poor woman." Dakota laughed. 

  
"OK, back to the question air," Stephanie said. She turned the page of a question book Alex had bought at a tourist shop. "These are boring, I'm asking my own questions. First kiss?" 

  
"Wow!" Dakota laughed. 

  
"Too personal?" She asked blushing pink. 

  
"No, no, it's OK, I'll tell you. Here's the picture: I'm a first grade loser with a GI Joe lunch box sitting alone at the lunch table when the cutest girl in the first grade named Kara comes up and kisses me." 

Stephanie looked shocked. 

"Turns out some kid had said I'd turn into a toad if she did, so they wanted to test it out." Dakota said smiling. "How 'bout you?" 

  
Stephanie could hardly contain her laughter. "It was last year with my first boy-friend. I thought he was trying to lick my liver. We don't date anymore." 

  
"Aww, because he was a bad kisser?" 

  
"No, he decided that he liked another girl better than me. But I don't really care, high-school romance leads to nothing." Stephanie replied dramatically. Thunder purred quietly in the distance. 

  
"Next question," Dakota said. "I'm not using the book either. Tell me if this is too inappropriate or not; have you ever...uh... are you a virgin?" 

  
"Yes, and proud of it, I want it to be special," she said. "You?" 

  
"A thing as precious as that should be saved for marriage. Special, like you said." 

  
"You're beautiful babe, beautiful," Stephanie said. Her face reddened as she laughed. 

  
"Wow, that's new, I've never been called that one before." 

  
After a while, the card players got too loud for so they moved to Alex and Dakota's bedroom floor. They bounced more questions off each other until they ended up falling asleep on the floor, head to feet next to each other. 

  
Stephanie slept very soundly until she woke up to awful grunting and groaning noises. She looked out the window. Little beads of rain covered it. She could barely see because of the dim light. The closet light shone on her. The only other light came from where Alex and the others played cards. She looked over at Dakota. 

He writhed and moaned as if he were in pain. He groaned and mumbled quiet angry words. 

  
Stephanie touched his arm. "Dakota...Dakota..." she whispered. 

But he continued to mumble a name, moving a bit more frantically than before and grasping his head with both hands. 

This time, she took him by the shoulders and shook him. 

He sat up, then cried out, and tried to shove her away. It was as if he didn't see her anymore, as if she were something that he was terribly angry at. She held tight to his arms and looked into his eyes. 

  
"Dakota, it's Stephanie, it's okay, it's okay," she said, trying to be reassuring. 

  
His eyes seemed to open and he sat there gasping for breath. Feeling how tense his muscles were she pulled his head underneath her chin and stroked his head. "It's okay, it was just a dream," she whispered softly. 

  
Dakota put his shaking hands on his face and drew his knees in. In his mind's eye he could see Julia being torn apart by wolf; a wolf controlled by Xander; and not being able to do a thing about it because Xander had his cold, icy hands around his neck. 

Xander not only had the power to control the thoughts that entered people's minds, but he also had the ability to touch a person and do one of two things- kill them and keep their powers, or to "borrow" their powers for a short while. When he borrowed people's powers he could decide when to give them back, or even whether to give them back at all. 

  
Stephanie stroked Dakota's hair and continued to hold him. It amazed her; never had she seen someone react the way Dakota had to his dream. When he had looked at her, his eyes were so consumed by fear that it frightened her. Whatever it could have been, it must have really happened to him; no terror like that came from just any nightmare. 

  
"Do you want to tell me about your dream?" She felt like a mother talking to a small child, but sometimes everyone needs that. 

  
Dakota sat up a bit and glanced at her, then looked at the ground. "My...girlfriend died a while back, and it still comes back to haunt me." His mind raced, trying to find an answer to the questions he knew she would ask. 

  
"I can understand if you don't want to talk about it," Stephanie said. "But if you do now, or if you ever do, I'll listen." 

Dakota smiled a weak smile. "Thanks Steph., it's nice to have someone to talk to... other than Alex." He grinned and shook his head. 

  
The door swung wide open and the two turned to see their visitor. 

Alex froze in the doorway with his mouth hanging half open and a very confused look on his face. "O-pp- Dakota, Steph, I think someone's been bad," Alex fumbled somewhere between trying to be clever and complete and total confusion. He rubbed his chest nervously, as if remembering an old pain. 

  
"Don't worry Alex, nothing happened," Dakota said. "I'm not like some people." He felt his ears turn bright red. The implication embarrassed him. 

  
"Hey Steph, if you need a ride home the others are leaving," Alex said. 

  
Stephanie got up and walked to the door. Then she turned. "See y'all tomorrow...." 

  
"Morning, actually," Alex said. "We decided to meet at the bagel shop at , y'all are gonna hate me, six in th' mañana." He grinned evilly. 

  
"Sounds good. They have great bagels, bye, see y'all at six," Stephanie walked out the door. 

  
Alex turned to Dakota, rubbing his chest. "Don't worry, it's too early for any sane person to be awake, oh never mind...you okay? 'nother nightmare?" 

  
Dakota nodded. "It was worse this time, but I don't want to talk about it." 

  
"I understand," Alex said. "Let's talk about Stephanie, and how obvious it is that you have a thing for her." 

  
"Hey, I do not Mr. 'Oh Cody! My sun! My moon! Let me be your slave,'" Dakota said. 

  
"Wow, wow, wow, was I that obvious?" Alex asked. 

  
"Yup," Dakota hopped into his bed and popped two sleeping pills. 

  
"You goin' to bed? We're not finished with our conversation yet," Alex said. 

  
"Oh yes we are. You're the one who wants to wake up at five thirty in the morning and go eat at a coffee and bagel shop," Dakota said, pulling the covers up around his chin. 

  
"Well at least you can sleep all day, I have to go to school...." Alex paused. "You still taking those sleeping pills?" 

  
"Yup, like candy," Dakota said groggily. "Can you believe it? Six months...and still..." 

  
Alex waited for him to finish his sentence, but it never came. He shook his head and kicked off his shoes. As he crawled into bed he glanced at the window out of habit. The rain beat the glass softly. 

Six months, he thought. Six months and Dakota still can't sleep, and I still feel like I'm being watched.   



	16. Complication

Chapter 16: Complication

Summary: Just a short chapter between David and his daughter, Riley. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

"Dad, I just realized a slight problem we might have." Riley, David's daughter, sat in a chair in her father's office tapping her fingers to her lips. She always did that when she got nervous. The past few months of secrecy had worn her out. Helping her father hide Dakota had been tough enough, but then there was the other thing... 

  
"What is it Riley?" Her father asked. 

  
"If Xander comes looking for Dakota, he'll be able to read the people's minds that he came into contact with, then what?" 

  
Silence. 

The large wooden chair creaked as David leaned forward, resting all his body weight on his elbows and knees. The two old minds ran through thoughts in the silence, trying to find a way out of their unsolvable problem. 

For if Xander could do this there would be no way to hide any longer.   



	17. Coffee

Chapter 17: Coffee

Summary: The group meets in the coffee shop where interesting conversation follows. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

"No one in their right mind gets up before the sun rises," Alex complained as he fell into the booth seat and leaned up against the wall at Einstein's the next morning. "Except maybe David and Riley." He drew his knees to his chest. 

  
"Wasn't it your idea to come this early?" Dakota asked taking a long drink of his caramel laté. 

  
"Yeah, you said, and I quote, 'we'll have more time if we go that early'" Danny laughed. He grabbed a handful of napkins and dropped his bagel onto them. 

  
"Die... just die," Alex mumbled. Leaned against the wall and pointed at him. 

  
"Hey, at least it's not raining anymore," Dakota said optimistically. 

In the east the sun had just made its appearance. The buildings blocked it but its light turned the sky into a mesh of water colors. In the west, however, the night sky still lingered, attempting to make one last impression before the day began. 

  
"Shop's pretty empty this morning," Danny observed. 

  
Good, Dakota thought. 

Two ladies behind the counter chatted quietly and an elderly couple sat at one of the booths. A giant fly buzzed around Alex's head. He grabbed a napkin and dove for it; the fly shot off in the other direction. 

  
"Rats," he mumbled. "Stinking fly." 

  
Everyone, including the ladies behind the counter, looked up at the sound of the shop bell ringing. Stephanie, Cody, and Brandy walked in. 

  
"Good morning beautiful," Danny said. He got up to hug Brandy but she raised her finger. 

  
"Coffee first...coffee." 

  
"Yeah, who's bright idea was this?" Cody asked, smiling and putting her hands on her hips.

Alex groaned and raised his hand. "Go ahead, stone me, I am unworthy to live, just let me die." He pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes. 

  
"He's not a morning person," Dakota said, standing up to let Cody in. 

  
Cody crawled into the booth next to Alex and kissed him on the neck. "I don't want them to stone you, you're too cute." She said. 

  
"Oh no! I've been downgraded to 'cute'," he whined. 

  
"Deal with it buddy," Dakota said, pulling up another chair. "I've always been 'cute'... until last night." He glanced at Stephanie who blushed and returned a warm smile. 

  
"So, Alex, how do you like our chemistry teacher?" Cody asked grinning. 

  
Alex's eyes widened and he thrust his bottom teeth forward. "That woman cannot be a teacher, she's like nineteen." 

  
"Nineteen?" Dakota asked. 

  
"Dude, you remember Ms. Stanley, your algebra teacher last year?" Alex asked. "Didn't you think she looked nineteen? Well, imagine her six feet tall with brown hair." 

  
"Good night," Dakota replied, his brow creasing. "I still say Ms. Stanley could not have had a college degree." 

  
"Didn't she baby-sit Pearl and Josh one time?" Alex asked. 

  
"Uh, yeah, I think so," Dakota said, giving Alex a look. 

  
"Pearl and Josh?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Pearl and Josh are...uh..." 

  
"Pearl and Josh were my next door neighbors," Dakota interrupted, hurriedly trying to cover up. "So do you think this lady baby-sits?" 

  
Stephanie stared at Dakota. Alex's fumble and Dakota's quick answer concerned her. What are they hiding? She wondered. As she scanned his face, she noticed something. The creases that traveled out from the corners of his eyes made him look like an old man. Lines of worry, she thought. Not laughter, like crow's feet. She had seen them in the faces of her grandparents, and many older people; mostly the bitter ones. And though his mouth constantly smiled, worry hid behind it- and maybe pain. He's struggling with something, she thought. 

  
"Jules? She did not say that." 

  
The name ripped Stephanie away from her thoughts. "Jules?" She asked. 

  
"My w-uh, girlfriend, the one that died." 

  
"Oh, sorry," she felt awkward. Should have been listening, she thought. 

  
"Uh-oh," Danny said looking at his watch. "We're slacking, we have about five minutes to get to school!" 

  
They all ran out to their cars. "And I thought we'd have more time." Alex said. 

  
"I can walk Alex, it's only three blocks," Dakota whispered. 

  
"All right, see y'all latah!" Alex called, hanging out his window. 

  
"Later," Dakota replied. Great, he thought, another exciting day, at home. Alone.   



	18. Bearer of Bad News

Chapter 18: Bearer of Bad News

Summary: David comes to visit Dakota, but the trip is not a joyous one. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

The sound of pounding knocked Dakota out of a deep sleep. 

He looked to his door, heart pounding, only to see David leaning against the frame. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He opened his mouth to speak but something in David's face caught his eye. It had gone frighteningly pale and the corners of his mouth drooped despite his efforts to smile. The lines of worry in his face showed more strongly than usual and he slumped forward a bit. 

  
Dakota finally found his voice. "David, what's wrong?" 

  
David licked his lips. "Last week Xander Collins paid your Aunt Angelina a visit. Now wait let me finish," he said, as Dakota opened his mouth to speak. "He wanted her to tell him where you were. She didn't know, but she lied to him, I think it was to protect you. Then, he came back last night when he figured out that she had lied. She told him she didn't know where you were, but he didn't believe her." David stopped for a moment. His face scrunched in pain. 

  
"Oh no." His voice same out in a choke. "He killed her." 

  
David nodded. 

  
An icy pain cut through Dakota's heart. "She lied to protect me." Tears came flowing down his cheeks and he shoved them away angrily. David came over to his bedside and put a large hand on his shoulder. 

"Why...why...why?"   



	19. Rogues

Chapter 19: Rogues

Summary: Dakota meets a new person in the woods. He finds they have many things in common. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

Dakota kicked the icy water and felt around for a stone. After David left, he had pondered for a long time, then got out of bed and walked to the woods. Here, he played in the creek trying to get his aunt's death out of his mind. 

It only dragged his mind back to Julia. 

His hand found a smooth stone. Straightening up he prepared to skip it, but his emotions got the best of him. He threw the rock so hard at a thick branch that it snapped and fell beside the creek. 

  
"Wow, good arm." 

  
Dakota spun around and lost his balance on the slippery stone. The water bit in to him through his pants. He sprung back up, scrambled to the shore, and looked up at the voice. 

A young woman, not much older than he, stood before him. Her white brows pushed together in a concerned look and she bent down to him. 

  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, make you do that," she said. 

  
Dakota studied her for a moment before he answered. His mind felt her out and her whole life flashed before his eyes. She held it completely open to him. She's safe, he thought. 

"It's OK, I probably shouldn't be standing in the middle of a creek in this weather anyway," he replied. 

  
"I'm Sharla," she extended a small hand to him. 

  
"I'm Dakota." He replied. "Sharla huh? I think I heard Stephanie mention your name, you sing at that coffee house right?" Dakota said. 

  
"Yeah, my family and I just moved here," she smiled. "What about you? I've never heard Stephanie mention your name before." 

  
"That's because I just moved here and I just met her last night," Dakota said. 

  
For an instant Dakota's mind reached into hers. 

/Are you hiding something too? /

  
/Yes. /

  
He looked her directly in the eyes. She too could talk telepathically. 

  
/You're hiding? /

  
/Yeah. /

  
/Is this safe? /

  
/Maybe not. Anyone could be listening. Someone powerful enough could catch our thoughts a mile away if they were listening for them. /

  
"Is there anywhere safe?" 

  
Her voice sounded loud outside his head, and the secure feeling depleted. "No." 

  
For a moment they looked at each other in silence, exchanging unsaid words. Their thoughts could no longer mingle. 

  
"I have to get to work," Sharla said. She stood, still holding his eyes. 

  
He stood to. "Maybe we can talk sometime, you know, about...stuff." 

  
"Sure." She dug through her purse, pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote something down. "Here's my number." She handed it to him. He ripped the paper in half and wrote his down for her. 

Sharla then leaned close. 

"We fugitives should stick together." 

  
Then she faded into the woods. Dakota stood for a long time after going over their conversation in his head. 

  
Dear God please help that to not have been a mistake.   



	20. Spies?

Chapter 20: Spies?

Summary: Alex feels a little paranoid. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

"Alex! Dude, how come I didn't see you yesterday? I can't believe you're back!" 

  
"Hey Carmen! Don't worry, I wasn't avoiding you, I was just getting used to the school. I left when I was nine years old. Gimme a break," Alex laughed. 

  
"There's something different about you, did anything exciting happen while you were gone?" Carmen asked. 

  
"Pah, hardly. I went skiing and face planted a few times but that's about it. But dude, I gotta go, I have to get home. See ya." 

Alex walked out of the school quickly. Why do I suddenly feel that everyone is working for the enemy? Alex wondered. All day he'd had a sinister feeling. Suddenly everyone's eyes knew him, everyone searched his thoughts. He stood naked, open to anyone, and with his powers limited he didn't stand much of a chance if someone were to try and get a peek at his thoughts. I need to figure out a way to strengthen my powers, Alex thought. 

  
"Hey Alex!" 

  
Alex inhaled his gum and turned red faced to the voice. He coughed hard to get the gum up. "Cody?" 

  
"I'm sorry Alex, are you OK? You seem...nervous." Cody said. 

  
"Nah, I'm OK, I was just, uh, deep in thought. What's up?"

  
"Nothin' real exciting, I was just wondering if you were going to go to the coffee house tonight, Mrs. Mae really misses your voice." 

  
"I don't know, I'll have to see." 

  
Cody looked long at him. 

He avoided eye contact. 

"What's wrong Alex?" She asked. "Ever since you moved back you've been acting really weird. Did something happen in Colorado that you haven't told me about?"

"Look, Cody, it's just that Dakota's parents death...after their death, I don't know, I don't really want to talk about it," Alex said. It's not exactly lying, Alex thought. 

  
Cody put her hand on his arm. "I understand, but if you ever want to talk, you know I'm here," she turned and started in the other direction. Then turned over her shoulder. "Call me tonight, OK? Let me know what you decide about coming to the coffee house." 

  
"All right I will, see ya," Alex climbed into his truck. Man, this may be harder than I thought. 

  
In the distance the foreboding clouds inched closer, pregnant with rain. Thunder snarled as lightning reached out across the sky, stretching for a victim. Slowly, the clouds forced the sun into an early bow and the curtain closed on it. Alex started his car, the sound of the engine and thunder mingled as he exited the parking lot.   



	21. Undeniable Presence

Chapter 21: Undeniable Presence

Summary: Xander receives a phone call from his 'boss'. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

"You haven't found him yet?" 

  
The deep, full voice, filled even Xander Collins with slight apprehension. 

Paul Rundér had a presence that made you suddenly feel very weak at the knees, a presence that could not be hidden by a telephone. 

"No, not yet, but I will," Xander said, trying to hide his fear. "And I have another idea about where to look for him, I'll-" 

  
"If this lead turns up wrong, I'll give the entire mission over to Karma, I know she'd love the opportunity." Came the evil reply 

  
"I'm not wrong this time," Xander growled. 

  
Paul sighed. "What's your new lead?" 

  
"Katy, Texas. Alex Crammer to be exact. He left right around the time Dakota disappeared, it's too close to be a coincidence." 

  
"Never lose your eye for the obvious," Karma mumbled by his side. 

  
"Shut-up." 

  
"If it was so obvious then why didn't you two check it out the first time?" 

  
Xander leaned back in his chair. "Because my first source was supposedly a good one, however, she proved false, so I did away with her," he answered. He raised his eyebrows cockily and smiled. 

  
"Don't mess up this time. Oh, and Xander, if you do kill anyone else, make sure there are no fingerprints left around. We have to keep this under control. " 

  
The line of the speaker phone went dead. 

Xander held his chin and reflected for a moment. He knew that he could not wait long to make a move. Just a few more days and...he didn't even want to think about it, and Paul did not pose as his greatest concern. 

  
Karma broke into his thoughts. "Stop looking so worried darling, I know Alex Crammer. Where he is Stevens will be." 

  
"That's not the problem and you know it. The problem is finding his exact location. He's no moron, it's not going to be easy to find him." 

  
"Don't be so nervous Xander. Now let's stop wasting the little time we have and go find him," Karma sat on the big office desk and tapped her long, red nails. 

  
Xander focused on his reflection in the glass on the desk for a moment. His final test. Stevens has to be caught. He stood and pushed the rolling chair backwards. 

Karma followed him to the door and to the elevator. They watched the numbers light up as they descended. 

  
Outside, the cold night greeted them. Up above clouds covered the stars and the moon, and this pleased Xander. The moon watched him, judged him. It tried to reveal his thoughts and open him to the world, and the sun did the same. If he could avoid it he would stay away, hide in the dark places. 

Xander slid into his Jaguar. 

  
"I'll meet you at the first hotel," Karma said stepping into her Firebird. "Oh, and don't fall asleep darling." 

  
Xander rolled his eyes and drove off in the opposite direction just as the rain began.   



	22. Invisible Man

Chapter 22: Invisible Man

Summary: Xander is met with an imperceptible adversary. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

Sephrim watched the two cars pull away from the office building and race into the night. For a moment he hesitated, deciding which car to follow. His eyes focused on the black Jag and he then made his decision. As it grew closer he went over in his mind exactly what he planned to do. 

Simple really, he thought. It may not stop them completely, but it will delay them long enough for me to warn Dakota. Instantly he blended into the rain and dark and sped ahead of Xander's car. At about fifty feet he and his car reappeared and he spun to face the Jag. 

Xander yelled and slammed on his breaks. 

The noses of their cars nearly touched. 

Xander suppressed the urge to get out of his car and yell. He knew that someone would not just slam his breaks on in front of him, they had an ulterior motive. The rain glittered in front of the car lights as Xander stepped out of his car. His eyes focused at the driver seat and his heart threatened to stop. But he set his jaw and moved slightly closer to the car. At any moment he expected the door to fly open or the car to explode. When he reached the door he flinched. 

Nothing. 

Deceptive? Xander wondered. 

He swallowed and put his hand on the cold, wet door handle. Rain ran down his neck through his hair. Drawing in a sharp breath he yanked open the door. The sound of metal twisting and breaking joined in with the thunder. Xander's eye brows met in confusion. 

No one sat in the driver seat. 

He wiped his mouth and leaned into the car. 

Cold pain filled his nose and the force sent him to his back in the cold mud. In seconds a shadowy form loomed over him. Two black coals starred out from underneath a dark hoody. 

  
"What the h-" 

Forceful hands jerked him up from the murky ground and pulled him close to his face. The eyes held him more than the hands. Their potency made his heart rush a mile a minute. 

  
"Xander Collins. A slimier creature could not be found on this earth." 

  
Xander knew the voice and growled. "Sephrim, what are you doing?" He caught his footing and tried to pull away. 

  
Sephrim yanked him around and pinned him up against the side of his car. "You've done some annoying things before Xander, but this one deserves an award. Do you really think you can pen down a guy like Dakota Stevens? If anyone aside from Paul and his cronies knew that y'all were going after a guy like that.....well, all Hell would break loose to say the least." 

  
"Stevens broke a rule Sephrim, we can't be partial just because everyone loves the guy," Xander said. "He has to receive justice." He tried again to jerk away. 

  
"Justice? Since when do you care about justice? You have one of the longest records the Counsel has ever had to deal with." 

  
Xander kicked Sephrim in the stomach. He jumped forward and reached for his neck. His hands met solid pavement. He tried to push back up but the hand had his shoulders again. 

Sephrim pushed him across the hood of the car. Immediately he was pulled to his feet. He swung hard into his opponents face but it only tasted wet air. Sephrim threw Xander down the slope of grass. When he reappeared over him he slipped in the grass and Xander brought his knee up into Sephrim's chin, simultaneously kicking him in the stomach. 

The ribs cracked. 

Xander drew up onto his knees and prepared to take Sephrim's energy. 

Not much time, he thought. Not enough time to take this much energy. He stood and ran back to his car. Without a look back, he sped away, leaving Sephrim lying in the mud.   



	23. Comfort

Chapter 23: Comfort

Summary: As Dakota reminisces on Julia's death and unexpected phone call provides him with the comfort he needs. 

PLEASE Read and Review! Sorry this has taken so long. School started up again last week and my publisher hasn't had time to get this updated. 

***

"What about Xander?" Dakota asked. 

  
"If Xander find us, then the only one who can save us is God Almighty," Alex replied. He lit a cigarette and paced a bit. "I mean, you got a 156 year old psychic vampire arrested. Then, you denied him the pleasure of killing you. He is probably pretty hacked off at you." 

  
Dakota sat down in the couch and chewed his knuckle. He pushed a cardboard box in front of him with his heel and rested his feet on it. Three months and we still haven't unloaded all the boxes, he thought. He waved a hand in front of his face to push away the cigarette smoke. "Alex, I'm thinkin', maybe I should find someplace else t' live. I mean, as long as you know where I am, and especially if you're the one hiding me, you're in danger, I should-" 

  
"You should stay here and lay low," Alex cut in. "Look, I've all ready started to help you, there's no going back now." 

  
Alex's little brother, Thomas, walked in. "That's disgusting Alex," he said motioning to the cigarette. He squatted down on the floor and plugged into a video game. 

  
"Y'all wanna play?" He asked. 

  
Alex glanced over at Dakota. He continued to stare off at the floor and rubbed his chin. 

"Sure Thomas, let's go." Alex sat down next to him and leaned up against the coffee table. 

  
Thomas twisted around and looked at Dakota. "You wanna play Dakota?" 

  
Silence. 

  
"Hello? Dakota?" He waved his hand in front of Dakota's face. 

  
"Huh." He looked distracted. 

  
"I said, do you wanna play?" 

  
"No, it's OK, y'all have fun." Dakota stood and walked to his bedroom. He felt stupid. The thought of playing video games made his heart hurt. He and Julia used to play the same game. 

"Puthetic." He said to the walls. 

He put his mind on other things as he paced. Xander Collins, what can I do about Xander Collins? He wondered. His senses are strong enough to catch me a mile away. It's only by God's grace that I've not been caught already. Alex says he can handle the pressure but he can't hide his thought's for long. His power isn't strong enough yet. He cracked his knuckles. The phone rang and Dakota sucked in a breath in surprise. He had just gotten it coughed up when Alex came in with the portable phone. 

"Hey Dakota- you OK?" 

  
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just-uh gum problems." 

  
"It's Stephanie, she wants to talk to you." 

  
Dakota took the phone and flopped down onto the floor. "Hello?" 

  
"Hey Dakota, how are you?" Came the voice from the other side. 

  
He thought for a moment. He didn't want to lie, but he really couldn't tell the truth with out revealing everything. "I'm survivin', what about you?" 

  
"Same. School's murder. Is something going on?" She asked. 

  
"Ah, you know just uh...stuff." 

  
"Girlfriend stuff?" She asked slowly. 

  
Dakota leaned his head against his nightstand. "Yeah," he sighed. "How'd you guess?" 

  
"You seemed sad in the bagel shop this morning. You wanna talk about it?" She asked. 

  
"Oh boy..." 

  
"You don't have to, if you don't want to, but.." 

  
"It would feel good to get some of it out," Dakota paused for a moment. He decided to talk about Julia. "I don't even remember meeting Julia. Our parents knew each other before we were born. Her dad was my dad's best man, and they worked for the same company. Any way, she was always the pretty and popular one. Even in elementary school none of the boys could say, or would say a thing to her. I was a bit different. To say the least, I was a bit of a nerd. But she never treated me like that. She had...she was, I don't know, she made you wanna be better. It's hard to explain. She made me know who I wanted to be. She made me want to protect her, and do what is right." 

  
He laughed. 

  
"What?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Man I sound corny don't I?" He paused. "Oh, well, she made you not afraid to sound that way. She was one of the nicest people I've ever known. On my twelfth birthday I got a real bad case of pneumonia and got stuck in a hospital. She stayed with me until her parents made her go home. She brought me video games and called me and prayed with me...." 

  
"How long were you in the hospital?" 

  
"About ten or so days. I had been sick for about two days before and I woke up one morning and I just couldn't breathe. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest. My parents called the doctor and we ended up rushing me to the hospital. It was a fun birthday. The doctors said I nearly died," Dakota said. "When Julia heard she came right over." 

  
"Sounds like a great birthday." 

  
"Well, um, when she was killed, my whole world fell apart. I didn't know what to do with out her. It's hard just to....to get out of bed in the morning now." 

  
"You have to take it one step at a time huh." 

  
"Yeah, I guess so." 

  
"Do you mind me asking how she died?" Stephanie could hear him struggling. 

  
Dakota took a deep breath. 

Hard question. 

How can I answer this one without straight up lying? He asked himself. "Well...we lived out in the woods and...we were walking out there one night, not real far from my house, and we got attacked by wolves..." 

Great now what? How can I explain that I couldn't save her? "They jumped on her before I could do any thing...I didn't have a gun...I didn't know what to do..." 

  
Stephanie broke in, "No one can blame you for what happened Dakota, don't blame yourself." 

  
Dakota didn't know what to say. He felt so guilty even though he knew the real story. 

"Well, one attacked me, and I-I just ran.." 

  
"Did it hurt you?" 

"Yeah," Dakota said. He touched the scar on his shoulder. 

  
"Well, you shouldn't feel guilty, I mean, you had a pack of wolves attacking you, right? As mere mortals sometimes all we can do is run." 

  
Dakota shook his head. 

Too bad I'm an exception. 

  
After a pause Stephanie said, "You're one of those people who has to have control over everything don't you? When Julia was killed you could not protect her, and you feel responsible." 

  
Dakota laughed and shook his head. "Am I that easy to read?" 

  
"Like a book." 

  
Silence crept in. Stephanie wiped a tear away from under her eye. 

Dear God, please be with Dakota. I don't know how I'd feel if I lost someone that close to me. Please be his comforter and... comfort him through me.... 

  
"Well, thanks for listening, I really needed that. But I really have to go." Dakota had to get off before he started to cry. 

"Bye." 

  
"Bye." 

  
He hung up fast. 

Puthetic.   



	24. Black Clouds

Chapter 24: Black Clouds

Summary: Sephrim returns with information about his encounter with Xander. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

Riley stared out the office window at the black sky. Off in the distance pockets in between the clouds lit up with a white light. A few moments later thunder whispered to her rumors of its coming. She tapped her pencil on the wooden desk and re-crossed her legs. A pile of papers sat in front of her, waiting for a signature. Beside them a half empty coke formed a puddle of water around itself. A little business card holder lay upside down with the cards strewn everywhere from when she had previously knocked them over. The clock on the wall beat against her brain. 

Tick, tick, tick. 

Underneath it her father had written; "Time is precious, don't waist a second of it." 

  
"I'm not wasting time," Riley said aloud. "I'm enjoying God's creation." If only that was half true, she thought. 

  
The first paper came off the stack. 

"Blahdy, blahdy, blah. Boring, boring, boring. I'd much rather work with customers than with paper." 

  
"Well then," came a voice. "You can help me." 

  
Riley knew the owner immediately. She pushed her chair to face the door and jumped up to meet the visitor. "Seph.! Aren't you a welcome interruption! You have no idea how much I missed you!" 

Like a little child again her arms wrapped around his neck in a hug. Her feet barely touched the ground as he straightened up and held her by the waist. Riley let go and stepped back. She noticed the pained expression on his face. "Are you OK? And what are you doing here? I thought you were taking care of....uh, our little problem." 

  
"I did, but my plan didn't exactly pan out as nicely as I would have liked it to," Sephrim said putting a hand to his side. "Xander's knee got well aquatinted with my jaw and ribs." 

  
"Oh you poor thing," Riley said. 

  
"Ah, I just can't believe I let him get away." He growled. 

  
"But you still delayed him, so it wasn't all a loss." 

  
"What good does a delay do?" Sephrim asked sitting down in the seat across from her desk. 

  
"It gives us more time to prepare." 

  
This time both Sephrim and Riley turned. David walked in and he and Sephrim shook hands. "It's good to see you Dave." 

  
"And it's good to see you not dead," David replied. He leaned up against Riley's desk and crossed his arms. 

  
"I wouldn't have given Xander the pleasure." 

  
"Do you know where he is now?" David asked. 

  
Sephrim rubbed his forehead and thought for a moment. "He and Karma are..." he paused and looked up at David. "They're in New Mexico, a little motel. They'll be here tomorrow." 

  
David sighed and paced for a moment. He tapped his fingers on his lips and shut his eyes to think. The clock on the wall kept the silence out. 

Riley and Sephrim watched David closely waiting for what he had to say. One word from him and the world reversed it's direction. All their plans, all their focus, even all their futures depended on this man's mind. Without his input, their plans failed. The agonizing silence dragged on. They knew that at any time they could simply look into his head, see his thoughts; at this point he left it open for them. But they revered him and allowed him privacy. 

  
David turned back toward them on his heel and stood motionless. 

Everything froze. 

"First, we get Dakota out of Alex's house as soon as possible; the burden's too much for Alex." 

  
"Where do we take him?" Riley asked. 

  
"Why not Darkwood Community?" Sephrim asked. "It's the safest place for him to be right? Your brother could..." 

  
"Sephrim, you know very well why we can't do that, we've discussed this." 

  
"But they..." 

  
"The only way that they can be protected is if they are separate." David interrupted. 

  
Sephrim sighed. "You're right, I know you're right. I just know that we're desperate. I was just trying every angle." 

  
David passed a hand over his head and raised his shoulders. His eyes focused on the sky outside the window. No light could be seen anymore, the black clouds ruled the expanse now. 

  
Riley watched her father. "Dad, you OK?" She asked. 

  
David shook himself, "Just dealing with an enemy." He cleared his throat. "We'll take him to our apartment Riley. He'll be safer there. Sephrim, you keep your eyes on Xander, and if you can, Karma. Inform me of everything you can. And Riley, you finish up here, then...tomorrow we'll go get Dakota. Everybody clear?" 

  
They nodded. 

  
"Good, let's get to it."   



	25. News Report

Chapter 25: News

Summary: Dakota views a news report on television. 

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

"In other news, Dr. Jay Miller, of Oxford University continues in his search for the paranormal." 

  
A bald, muscular man in a gray suit appeared on Alex's big screen television. The words Dr. Jay Miller, Oxford University, appeared across his wide chest. 

"I have tests which clearly prove that there are human beings out there who can, shall we say, exceed natural human abilities." 

  
The reporter continued, "When asked what he meant by exceeding 'normal human abilities' he stated that they had "different powers" such as telekinesis, or telepathy." 

  
The Doctor continued. "We cannot be sure of how they gain these abilities, but we are progressing. I am still searching for a volunteer-" 

  
Dakota turned off the television. 

Great, he thought. 

But he'll never find us. 

Will he?   



	26. Wolf

Chapter 26: Wolf

Summary: While Alex is at the coffee shop he runs into the last person he wants to see.

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

Alex swung his arms in unison as he walked through the cold night. He kept his eyes focused on the light of the little coffee shop not too far ahead. With the clouds covering the stars and moon it provided the most light for him. As he approached the fence that surrounded the lot for the shop shouts and music filled his ears. 

He grinned. 

One thing's for sure, he thought to himself. Texans sure know how to have a good time. 

  
Alex swung the door open and stepped into the dim lighting. He stood a moment and took the coffee house in. Strange, colorful pictures and beads dressed the walls. A long red counter and off white pillars separated a stage from the rest of the room; one could enter at both ends. Red and blue Japanese lanterns hung from the ceiling above the stage and cast strange shapes on the face of the singer. All around people sat at little tables together; some in big groups, others in little ones. 

  
"Hey Alex." Cody said joining. 

  
"Cody! Hey how are ya?" 

  
"Doin' OK," she said. "Come on our table's over here. Where's Dakota?" 

  
"He's been really tired. Ever since his parents died he hasn't been able to sleep that well, ya know." 

  
"Oh, the poor kid, I understand. Man, if my parents died, I don't know what I'd do," Cody said. "Oh, wait, did you want any coffee, it's free but, they accept donations." She smiled at him. 

  
Mmmm free, Alex thought. "Nah, I'm good." 

  
"Alex. Hey what's up." Danny stood and shook hands with Alex. 

  
"Nothing too exciting, just school," Alex replied. "What about you?" 

  
"I'm doing good, kind of the same here, just school." 

  
Alex took a seat and relaxed for a moment. An acoustic guitar struggled to get above the hubbub that dominated the room. For some reason, he felt a strong desire to feel out everyone's minds. It did not hurt to be careful. He glanced over at Danny who gave him a reassuring smile. It felt good to have some one he could trust.   
  
"Alex Crammer! Oh dear it's been so long!" 

  
Alex turned as Mrs. Mae, the owner of the coffee house, clasped her hands under her chin. "Mrs. Mae, it has been a while." He stood and gave her a hug. 

  
"Oh my, how you've grown. I remember when you were nine, I taught your choir class for church and you were just this high." She put her hand to her hip. "And what a wonderful little voice you had. Dear, do you still sing? You must come and sing for us sometime." 

  
"Now the only singing I do is in the shower, but for you I'd do anything." Alex grinned. He liked Mrs. Mae, she reminded him of a picture he'd seen of Mrs. Clause once. She treated everyone very specially; finding little nicknames for them and exonerating them every chance she got. 

  
"Well you'll have to come down here tomorrow at lunch and we'll work something out," Mrs. Mae smiled. " But right now I've got to get back to work. See you tomorrow." 

  
Alex laughed. What a lady, he thought as he sat down again. 

  
"So, you sing in the shower?" Cody raised and eyebrow. 

  
"Oh hush, I thought you were the one who said no more picking on Alex. Aren't you on my side?" Alex asked. 

  
Cody smiled. "You sing in the shower, I'd love to hear that." 

  
"Hey now! This is a G rated conversation Cody, we'll have none of that," Danny scolded. He shook his finger at her like an old man. 

  
Cody smacked Danny on his muscular arm. "That's not what I meant and you know it, Daniel." 

  
Someone tapped the microphone and all eyes turned to the stage. "Hey everybody, glad y'all came out tonight! Now give a big welcome to our guest, Sharla." 

  
A young woman glided up onto the stage. "OK guys, is it all right if I sing to y'all for the next two hours?" The crowd cheered and a smile lit up the girl's face. Her hands fell behind her back and her silky voice filled the room. Alex looked around at all the people. Everyone smiled and focused on the singer. 

  
Suddenly, his eyes fell on a face that sent chills down his spine. 

Xander Collins stood in the doorway searching the room with his green eyes. 

Alex nearly dropped his jaw, but he caught himself in time. "I'll be right back guys." He stood up and walked over to the door, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't Xander Collins. What are you doing here?" 

  
Xander grinned. "Crammer," he shook his head. "Didn't expect to see you here either. Needless to say, I'm less than excited." 

  
"Right back at ya," Alex said. "So, I go back to my original question; what are you doing here?" 

  
Like a wolf searching for it's dinner, Xander scoped the room . "I'm here on business, Counsel business if you know what I mean." He searched Alex's face for a change, but found none. 

  
"Looking for Dakota Stevens still, huh? Guess that kid gave y'all quite the slip didn't he?" Alex said. 

  
"Yeah, you wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?" Xander asked glancing up at Alex. A familiar tone grew in Xanders voice and Alex fought off the chill that ran up his spine. 

  
"Are you kidding? He disappeared right after he told the police that his family'd been killed by wolves." Alex replied. "You know what? The Counsel's done a lot of crazy things before, but this one takes the cake. Y'all just killed one of my best friends and Dakota's w-girlfriend. That's low." 

  
Xander stared at him hard. "What were you going to call her?" 

  
"Sorry, I can't hear you, say again?" 

  
Xander grabbed Alex by the arm. "All right, outside, Crammer." 

  
The wind bit them as the entered the night and not a light in the sky guided them. "Now, what did you say?" Alex asked. 

  
"You started to call Julia something besides girlfriend, what was it?" Xander asked. 

  
"Woman, I almost called her Dakota's woman. I used to call girlfriends that, but if Dakota every found out I called Jules that he'd string me up by my toes." Alex said. 

  
"If you're lying to me..." 

  
"Why would I lie to you? What else could I have called her?" 

  
Xander's eyes narrowed for a moment and searched Alex's face one last time. Is Crammer just a good liar, or is he telling the truth? He wondered. He reached out into Alex's mind. Frustrated, he turned away. Nothing but what he would want me to see if he were lying. Well, I'll get him when he least expects it. "Forget it. I have to go, but if you hear from Dakota you let me know eh? Or at least tell him he's better off turning himself in than me finding him." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. 

  
Alex rubbed his head. Man, it's hard t' keep a guy like that outta your mind. 

  
"You OK Alex?" 

  
Alex flinched. "You people gotta stop sneaking up on me," he said turning to Cody. "But yeah I'm fine, let's go inside." 

  
"Who was that?" 

  
"Ah, just a guy I used to know, don't worry about it." I am going to try not to.   



	27. Returned Favors

Chapter 27: Returned Favors

Summary: After discovering some bad news while reading Alex's mind, Dakota makes a decision.

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***

Dakota sat and stared at his book mark. 

A picture of Julia. 

Most school pictures were hideous, but nothing could alter Julia's beauty. Her coffee brown hair fell in soft curls about her shoulders, not tight, frizzy curls like Riley's, but ringlets. Her almond shaped green eyes had the look of wonder that a small child has when they stare up at the sky. 

While Dakota was with Julia, his appreciation for nature had grown, and now nature was the one thing that comforted him. She had taught him to slow down, enjoy simple things. Her pouty lips parted to show pearly white teeth, not perfect teeth however, a few at the bottom were crooked, but Dakota had grown to love even her little flaws. The green shirt she wore accentuated her eyes and shadows formed on her arms where the muscles curved. 

Julia was strong, very strong, but never masculine. 

However, Dakota had always felt the need to protect her. In a way, she reminded him of Cody. Julia loved going to the gym with him and even took kick boxing classes. 

He sighed. 

She was so trusting and understanding. When he told her about his powers she had smiled and laughed, like a little girl. She told him that he had been her Superman before, but now he was the world's Superman too. On the back of the picture in blue ink the words were written; "To my Superman, I love you. Jules". 

Some Superman I turned out to be. I couldn't even protect her from a lousy werewolf. 

  
His vision blurred. 

Images of her lying on the snow in a pool of blood entered his mind. He watched her grabbing for a large stick that was just out of reach, he could feel Xander's hand tightening around his neck, and his words, 'You should have stayed away from her Stevens'. 

More images came. 

His mother and father running out on the porch. His father's shot gun with the silver bullets in it. 'Go back, there're too many', his own voice echoed in his head. He heard their cries faintly because he himself had been losing consciousness. Xander had tried to kill him, and nearly succeeded. 

David should have let him, Dakota thought. 

  
Dakota and his family lived a little ways from the city so there were a lot of woods around, and when the police found the bodies it didn't seem strange that they had been attacked by wolves. A thought entered his mind, If they find you they'll do the same to your friends that they did to your parents and Julia. All he could see was blood, the smell, the feeling, the cries, the agony. 

Alex opened the door and Dakota fell out of bed with a start. 

  
"You OK?" They said at the same time. 

  
"Why're you asking me? You're the one who fell outta bed." Alex said with a grin. 

  
"You looked a little bit pale." Dakota climbed back into bed. "How was coffee?" 

  
Alex stretched and yanked off his shirt. "Excellent. You should have joined us." The muscles in his back contracted as he knelt and reached under his bed. 

  
"Hardy, har, har. I would have if there wasn't a price on my head." Dakota said throwing the bookmark back into his book. "Is it raining?" 

  
Alex stood up with a pair of boxers from under the bed. "How'd you know?" 

  
Dakota eyed his wet hair and glistening skin. "Good guess... Anything exciting happen that I should be worried about?" 

  
The closet shrieked as Alex flung it open and threw in his shoes. "Nope. Now if you don't mind, I'm a-goin' to sleep." He flopped face first onto his bed and shut his eyes. 

  
"Alex?" 

  
"Uhhhh?" 

  
"Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?" Dakota asked. 

  
"Oh yeah," he turned his face to Dakota. "Good night." 

  
After a few moments Alex started to snore softly. 

Well now Alex, let's see what in your mind, Dakota thought. He reached in. Inside, he saw Cody and all the people from the coffee house, and then he saw what he feared but expected none the less- Xander.

I knew it, he thought. 

Well that settles it. I'm leaving, no one else is going to get ripped to pieces on my account. I don't know where I'll go, but it'll be as far away from anyone I care about as I can. He grabbed his back pack and threw in all the clothes and toiletries he could his money and his bible and book. Then he stood in the door and sighed. Thanks for trying Alex. But now it's my turn to do you a favor. 


	28. No Burden

Chapter 28: No Burden

PLEASE Read and Review! Thanks to Layne, Beth and Thade182 for reviewing! It means so much to me. A lot of time and effort went into writing this story and even if only three people read it those few words of support and enjoyment are well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

***

"I don't know where he went, he was here when I fell asleep last night." Alex stood in his living room the next morning pacing and smoking a cigarette.

Riley sat on his couch with her hands between her knees and her lower lip between her teeth. 

David leaned against the wall. He had his eyes squeezed shut and arms crossed. 

  
"I should have realized Dakota would do this, he never wants to be a burden on anyone," David shook his head. "Well, I've made a mistake and it's no use sulking over. Alex go about life like nothing's happened. Make up a story to your friends, and I'm sorry, but for their protection there's got to be more lying. And Riley, I'll drive you back to work and then try to find Dakota. It shouldn't be too hard." 

  
"But maybe it's safer for him, to be alone anyway," Alex said. "I mean, no one will know where he is so no one can have their minds read..." 

  
"Xander could still find him," Riley put in. "Dakota's strong but not as strong as he is. It would be better if we had him, because Dad and I are strong enough to elude Xander, or anyone else who wants to read us." 

  
Outside rain tapped the window lightly. Alex looked out and a thought came. He has no place to stay out there in that. "Y'all are right. Find him fast, and if there's anything I can do let me know." 

  
"We will. Riley, let's go," David said. "And may God help us all."   



	29. Cold Turkey

Chapter 29: Cold Turkey

PLEASE Read and Review! Thanks to Layne, Beth and Thade182 for reviewing! It means so much to me. A lot of time and effort went into writing this story and even if only three people read it those few words of support and enjoyment are well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

***

Alex's hands shook as he took his coffee from the counter. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and his lighter. The coffee burned his tongue and he spit it back into the cup. Finally, he eased down into one of the easy chairs. Best thing about this coffee shop, he thought. He searched his other pocket for the cigarettes. None. His hands shook even more. Man, this isn't much better than...I don't even want to think about it. The bell to the shop tinkled and Cody walked in. 

  
"Hey Alex, how are you?" 

  
"Cody, I'm doin' all right. Cold, but all right. How's about you?" 

  
"Same." She walked over to the counter, ordered her drink and came to sit beside Alex. 

"Is something wrong?" 

  
Alex sighed. "I, I can't find my cigarette or lighter." He looked up and shrugged. 

  
"Can't help ya there pal. Now as a friend, I have to ask you, why on earth do you smoke?" Cody asked. 

  
His ears turned red, but before he could answer the lady called out Cody's order and she hopped up to get it. The bell tinkled again and Xander Collins entered. 

Please God, I'm so tired, just let him go away, Alex pleaded. 

  
"Alex.... what a pleasant surprise." 

  
"Hello Xander." Alex tried not to look too disgusted. 

  
"Alex, is this a friend of yours?' Cody asked taking her seat again. 

  
Alex pinched the top of his nose and squinted his eyes. "Cody," he said with some effort. "This is Xander Collins, I knew him back in Denver." 

  
Xander reached into her mind. If Dakota's been here he'll be in her mind. I just have to find it. 

  
Cody extended a hand and Xander shook it. She noticed that something bothered Alex but with his obvious frame of mind, it did not seem the best time to ask. "Nice to meet you," she said. 

  
"And you," Xander said. "Are you one of Alex's new girlfriends?" 

  
Alex wanted to throw up. Could things possibly get any worse? Dakota's gone M.I.A., Cody's asking questions, and Xander Collins is every where I turn. 

  
"Excuse me?" Cody's eyes shot to Alex. "One of Alex's girlfriends?" 

  
"Yeah, is she Alex?" He couldn't shove aside her new angry thoughts about Alex. 

  
Alex licked his lips. "I'm done with that Xander. I've turned from that road." He said. 

  
"Oh c'mon Alex, you and I both know you can't change. So tell me, what is Cody?" Xander said. He caught the picture he wanted. Dakota stood in her memory, but only for a brief moment, for all the powers of thought were turned on Alex. 

  
"Cody's a....." 

  
Xander and Cody both looked at him waiting for an answer. More than anything Alex wanted to say 'my one and only girlfriend' but after Xander's comment he didn't know if she wanted to be that. 

  
"Friend...for now." Alex looked down at his feet, trying to avoid Cody's stare. 

  
Cody and Xander leaned forward to make out the last words. 

  
"Sure. Listen to me Cody, you watch out for this guy. He's acquired quite a reputation over the last few years for being, oh how do I say it kindly? Somewhat of a womanizer." 

  
Alex had had enough. He stood and walked outside. The wind blasted him as he made for his car.

Why God, why? Why did I make those mistakes? Mistakes I can never take back or fix. 

His throat tensed so that he could barely breathe. He fumbled for his keys, but his frozen fingers had a hard time bending. 

  
"Alex!" 

  
His head dropped. Great, he thought as he turned to face Cody. "Yeah?" 

  
"Do you not trust me?" She asked. 

  
"What?" 

  
"I'm not going to just up and listen to a person I just met over you, Alex," she said, the wind blew her blond hair about her face causing her to look something like an angel. "I'll hear your side before I do that." 

  
"All right, let's get in my car, it's cold out here," Alex said. He felt strangely warmed by her trust, and that warmth gave him a new drive to continue on his new path. 

  
Cody climbed in. It's gonna be something I don't want to hear, I know it, she thought. Lord, please help me to be discerning and merciful. "Well?" 

  
Alex rubbed his red eyes. "It's not much of a story. All there is to tell is that when I moved to Colorado I decided that I'd...I don't know. I just started playing up to the girls. I realized that if I said and did the right things they'd sort of...eat out of my hands. As I got older I started dating two or three girls at a time, and I was good at it, none of them ever knew." 

He paused and Cody watched his face. His eyebrows neared his sad eyes and his jaw muscles tensed. The last time Cody had seen that look was when his dad accidentally ran over his pet dog Moochy. 

"But...it didn't stop there....it got worse. I won't go into any detail, but let's just say I'm not at all proud of any of my actions. I also got real into drugs..." He had to stop. All the memories came overflowing into his brain. All the girls, all the pain. His father. It felt as if someone had sucked all the air out of the car. Cody put her hand on his. 

  
"What happened?" She asked. "You said that you turned from that road." 

  
Alex sighed. "Well, God decided to kick me in the teeth. On the way to one of my track meets...my dad.... got into a car crash and...you know." he stopped again and swallowed. "I couldn't believe that it had happened.....and I was really mad so I got worse. Then, Dakota decided we needed to have a talk. He knew how much I was hurting and so he told me...how do I say this without sounding corny? Ok, there's no other way t' say it. He told me about Christ. I'd heard about Him and what he did all my life because my family went to church, but I guess....I don't know.... God wanted me to really hear it this time." 

  
Cody waited for Alex to go on, but he stayed silent. "Is that when you changed?" 

  
Alex stared at the steering wheel. A new look had washed over his face. He still looked penitent, but something like a light had appeared where despair had been before. "Yeah, it all happened at the beginning of the summer so for the next few months I went cold turkey on the drugs...and girls. For a while there, I really thought I was going to die, it was not fun, but, I know it was the right thing to do." He paused again. "I understand if you don't ever trust me again, but that's the story anyway." 

  
Silence filled the car. 

Alex stared at Cody. She bit her lip and clasped her hands together hard. After a while she sighed and looked up. "I won't deny, that well..." she sighed again. "I'm not gonna look at the old you, but the new you." Cody struggled and smiled. "I have to go..." 

  
"All right, I'll see ya later," Alex said. I hope. 

  
Cody stepped out of the car and shut the door. Then she watched Alex drive away. 


	30. Mistrust

Chapter 30: Mistrust

PLEASE Read and Review! Thanks to Layne, Beth and Thade182 for reviewing! It means so much to me. A lot of time and effort went into writing this story and even if only three people read it those few words of support and enjoyment are well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

***

Xander watched Alex and Cody unseen. He could hear every word said, and as Cody stepped down out of Alex's car, her look betrayed her. 

Xander smiled. 

Mistrust, one of the quickest ways to sever a relationship, he thought. Alex, you're gonna crack so quickly, it won't even be funny. You know you can't change. 

He turned and walked out to his car. Karma's sat right beside it. She lounged in the driver's seat of her red Firebird with her arms over her head. 

  
Xander leaned up against the door and looked in on her. "The trap is set," he said. "Alex is a moron, he'll crack." 

  
"Please Xander, I don't need encouragement from you," she replied with a roll of her electric blue eyes. "I've lived long enough, I can handle any man." 

  
"Even David?" Xander asked sarcastically. 

  
Karma opened the door and stood in front of him. Xander looked her up and down, desire, like a hot liquid, running through his veins. Her brown hair flopped down past her shoulders and into her eyes. 

She grabbed him by the shirt. "Don't tempt me Xander, I could kill you here and now, don't think I won't." Her English accent thickening now that she had been annoyed. 

  
Xander knew better than to play with her. She had just about every power imaginable, and that included being able to rip him limb from limb. "I'll be sure to remember that." He replied. 

  
She let go of his shirt and edged closer to his face. He could see more and more down her black tube top and his heart leapt. She had power over him as well. 

"Just keep in mind that you are still in a severe amount of trouble," she turned and walked a few feet in the other direction, her leather pants swishing. "The counsel's already upset about loosing a prisoner, so you'd better not anger them anymore." 

  
Xander walked up behind her and leaned close to her neck. "You wouldn't turn me in, I know you wouldn't." 

  
She faced him, "Don't try me," she turned again and began to walk down the side walk away from the coffee shop and Xander's Jag. She stopped at the grass next to a park bench. 

"I've had to put up with the Counsel for nearly 200 years, it's always been a fun game to play," she spun on her heel and faced him again. "To find skeletons in people's closets and get them in trouble." 

  
"And yet, you never can seem to find anything on David. Curious isn't it?" Xander said, putting his hands in his pockets. 

  
"Yeah," she mumbled. "The only thing I have on him is that he slept with me." She crossed her arms. 

  
"He slept with you? David, born before dirt David slept with you? When was this, and how did I miss it?" Xander asked, laughing. 

  
Karma walked towards him. "I told you, any man." 

  
"I'd like t' see you try him again, or even try the prude boy, Stevens." 

  
"You know, you really have it in for him, don't you?" Karma sat down on the bench with one knee to the sky and an arm resting on it. 

  
"I try not to make it obvious." He said rolling his green eyes and putting one foot on the bench. 

  
"Why do you hate him so much darling?" Karma stood and walked around Xander as a cat does it's prey. "Is it because the Counsel said that he has the potential to be stronger than even David, or is it just that he is the paradigm of goodness and virtue?" 

  
"Both. It's like he's saint Stevens or something, and besides, the idea of a pansy like him becoming more powerful than me, or David, or you, is hardly appealing," Xander replied. 

  
"Oh, and the fact that he turned you into the counsel last year and stopped you from killing one of your victims doesn't have any part of it?" Karma asked. 

  
Xander merely turned hard eyes on her. 

  
"Oh yes, speaking of David, have you found him yet?" Karma asked. She lay down on her back on the bench and stretched like a cat. Her flat stomach showed and Xander licked his lips, as she breathed, he could see the muscles flexing. 

  
"No, I thought that had been assigned to you," Xander said. He looked off in the distance at the angry clouds. Thick mists of rain laid siege to the city of Houston, and sounds of cacocophonous thunder echoed through the skies. 

  
"If I can't even find where he lives, how can I expect you to?" Karma muttered to herself. 

  
"Look, you focus on Alex, I'll go looking for David, and if I can't find him, I'll give up, he's only important to you." 

  
"I have something to settle with him, so I will focus on him. But it's not time to start on Alex just yet, besides I need a nap." She stretched. 

  
"Need some company?" Xander asked.   


She rolled her eyes, "Not from you, babe. You have work to do." 

  
Xander turned and walked towards his car. Light drops of rain kissed his neck and face. When he reached his car he looked up to see Karma sitting in hers already. 

  
"Meet me at my place when I call you," she said and sped off. 

  
Xander smiled. Now for Dakota Stevens.   



	31. Guilt and Mud

Chapter 31: Guilt and Mud

PLEASE Read and Review! Thanks to Layne, Beth and Thade182 for reviewing! It means so much to me. A lot of time and effort went into writing this story and even if only three people read it those few words of support and enjoyment are well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

***

Dakota walked through the woods. All night he'd slept there and he hurt in places he did not even know he could. The rain had not started until about noon, so it would have been nice. However, David seemed to be trying to find him telepathically. Dakota knew he meant, well but he did not want to be found, by anyone. As the rain grew increasingly hard he began to shiver. Dakota could not think, he could not breathe. His feet sunk into the mud and grass and rain soaked through his clothes, he had no idea where his feet had started to take him, but he could not stop. All he could think to do was walk. Walk. Get away. Don't let what happened to Julia and your parents happen to the rest of your friends. Suddenly, his foot caught a tree root and he fell to his face. A cold shock pain filled his nose and he really thought that he saw stars. For a moment Dakota simply laid in the mud. But then, with a grunt and a groan, he pulled himself up. He wiped his nose and spit out blood, then, continued on. As bad as he felt, he refused to let the Counsel win, they were the one's who had her killed, they would pay by not getting him. Dakota walked faster, he knew that somewhere up ahead his spot lay hidden. The spot by the creek. He could rest there, rest and clean the stinking mud from his clothes. Thank goodness, he thought. It's just up ahead.   



	32. The Move

Chapter 32: The Move

PLEASE Read and Review! Thanks to Layne, Beth and Thade182 for reviewing! It means so much to me. A lot of time and effort went into writing this story and even if only three people read it those few words of support and enjoyment are well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

***

Xander fed things into Dakota's mind, if he couldn't find him physically, he could at least scare him out of hiding. He could feel Dakota losing all rationality, his shields dropped. Xander was sucked through the city into his mind. He saw through Dakota's eyes. He saw trees and bushes, heavy rain, and heard thunder. Xander pulled out a bit and started his car. He drove out of a gas station. He continued to prompt Dakota's movements, Go to the woods, it's safe there, not one would expect it. Xander drove onto the highway. He noticed at the speed limit. Fifty-five. Whatever, he smirked. You're mine now Stevens. 


	33. Wearing Thin

Chapter 33: Wearing Thin

PLEASE Read and Review! Thank you sooo much for reviewing. You guys rock! 

***

  
David wiped the grease and grime from his hands and stared at the floor. For the past hour he'd been working on a car in his shop and trying to detect Dakota's mind, but to no avail. 

  
"What is it Dad?" Riley asked without even having to look out from under the hood of the '92 Ford Escort. 

  
"I haven't been able to find Dakota because he had been blocking me, but just now I caught up with him." 

  
"And that's a bad thing because?" 

  
"Well, he's breaking down, I feel someone else's mind in his and Dakota's not listening to me," David said. "Xander's in there." 


	34. Luxury

Chapter 34: Luxury 

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***

  
Scott stretched. He and Sharla sat in the rain by a creek. After all that had happened just sitting had become a luxury. Sharla had laid down, curled up, and fallen asleep, her tail twitched. Scott stood up and walked to the water's edge and lapped it up. Nothin' like a little H2O, he thought. He trotted over to Sharla and laid down in front of her. 


	35. Seduction

Chapter 35: Seduction 

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***

  
Alex sat on the park bench, alone. After Cody had left, he drove there to think. During this process he had decided that his day could not have gone worse. He had a serious lack of sleep, Cody no longer trusted him because of Xander, Karma could be anywhere, and Dakota had skipped town. Big beads of water pounded his head. 

  
And now it's raining, he thought, but he didn't move. 

Rain, an ever present factor in my life. First emotional now physical. 

He shut his eyes. In the pit of his stomach he felt a pain, it started as a light ache, then turned into severe nausea. Only one person's presence made him feel that way. He opened his eyes. A tall brunette stood two inches in front of him. 

Karma.

  
"Hello Alex," she said smoothly. "You look cold, I'll bet I can fix that." Karma knelt down in front of him and slid her hand up his thigh. 

  
Alex grabbed her hand. "Karma, go away." He stood. 

  
She slid her hands up his chest and messed with the buttons of his shirt, her nose almost touched his. "Oh Alex, you know you don't want to leave." Karma kissed his neck.

  
For a moment Alex stood hypnotized. She ran her hand downwards, and blew on his neck. A shiver ran up and down his arms. 

/Any man/ Karma thought. /Come here Cody, you'll want to see this./   



	36. Trust

Chapter 36: Trust

PLEASE Read and Review! Thank you sooo much for reviewing. You guys rock! 

***

  
Cody pulled on her coat, it had begun to rain outside and for some reason, she felt that Alex needed her. 

Or am I just not trusting him? She wondered. I am a little suspicious now. But I just want to make sure he's all right. 


	37. The Chase

Chapter 37: The Chase

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***

  
Xander walked quietly through the woods like a wolf. He tortured Dakota, slowing him at every turn. Dakota fell in the mud, giving Xander just enough time to catch up with him. Now Xander stood just a few feet away, he could see Dakota's brown jacket, and back pack. 

Goodbye, Stevens, he thought, and with every ounce of strength and energy he had he sprung forward, tackling, his prey. 


	38. Pounce

Chapter 38: Pounce 

PLEASE Read and Review! Thank you sooo much for reviewing. You guys rock! 

***

  
Scott jumped to his feet at the sound of footsteps. He peeked through the trees to see a strangely familiar face coming towards their clearing. 

  
"What is it Scott?" Sharla whispered. 

  
"I don't know shhh!" 

  
Scott was about to tell her to run, when out of nowhere he saw someone jump from behind a tree and attack the young man. 

  
"Oh my gosh," Sharla whispered horrified. "That's Dakota, Stephanie's friend. I met him here the other day. Scott help him." 

  
Scott hesitated. 

  
Xander smashed Dakota's head into the ground and grabbed his neck with one hand, with the other he held Dakota face down in the mud and put all his weight on top of him. Their minds met; Dakota's a jumbled mess of confusion, Xander's a powerful enemy destroying him from within. Xander taunted him with the images, Dakota tried to fight back, then nothing. 

/You thought you were so powerful didn't you?/ Xander taunted. /Well, now you're gonna die, and so will all your.../

Something heavy sent him off Dakota and into the mud. 

A large wolf stood on top of him, growling and digging his claws into his skin. 

Xander used Dakota's power to send the wolf flying into a tree. Almost instantaneously another wolf landed on top of him, pushed him back into the mud and slapped his face with sharp claws. 

He sent a rock flying at her head and she fell off whimpering. 

Xander tried to crawl back to Dakota but the first wolf leapt at his throat, biting deep. The blood flowed down his shirt and his neck burned. Xander tried to used the power again but his mind had been blocked. 

/You may be stronger than Dakota at the moment, but you aren't stronger than me/ a voice echoed in his mind. 

Even from far away David could reach into minds, however, Xander couldn't see him. 

/Good night Xander./

Xander struggled until blackness took over him. 

Scott, realizing that he had passed out, let go and trotted over to Sharla who had returned to human form and knelt by Dakota. She turned him over on his back so that he could breathe. 

  
"You okay?" Scott asked. 

  
"I'm fine, but I don't think he is," she said. "We have to help him Scott, take him home, or something?" She sounded like a little girl who'd just found a little lost puppy. 

  
"What if we can't trust him, we don't know anything about him," Scott said. 

  
"Ski-ski," she used her nick-name for him. "Please, I met him in the woods yesterday. He's a fugitive like us. Please?" 

  
Scott shook his head. "All right fine, but if he's trouble..." 

  
"Thank you Ski-Ski!" She hugged him tightly. "Let's get the kids and Lana and Joe from the park and go home." 

  
I hope I don't regret this, Scott thought. Oh well, what's the worst thing that could happen?   



	39. Riley to the Rescue

Chapter 39: Riley to the Rescue

PLEASE Read and Review! Thank you sooo much for reviewing. You guys rock! 

***

  
"I'm going to find Karma." 

  
"Riley, why?" 

  
"She's with Alex, he needs help."   



	40. The Pack

Chapter 41: The Pack

PLEASE Read and Review! Alright, just to clarify the Daniel in this chapter is not the Danny of previous chapters. This part of the story coincides with my friend Sharli's fic Wolf at Midnight. Scott, Sharla, Daniel, Joe, and Arizona belong to her. I just thought it'd be cool to have a cross over chapter. 

***

  
"Wow, look what the dog dragged in!" Daniel yelled as Scott and Sharla walked in with their kids, Joe, and Lana in tow. Scott carried Dakota in and looked for a place to lay him down. 

  
"What happened t' y'all?" Daniel sat in the easy chair playing a pocket video game with Arizona sitting on the arm of the chair watching, and various people ran about like madmen. Joe grabbed a towel from a clean pile of folded clothes and laid it on the couch so Scott could put Dakota there. 

  
"We had a run in with some jerk who wanted t' kill this guy-" 

  
"Hey, I know him," Daniel said. "He's wanted for...somethin', right?" 

  
"So what happened?" Joe asked. "All I understood was something about someone ruining y'all's nap." 

  
"I'm not exactly sure," Scott began. "Sharla and I were sleeping by that creek out in the woods when we heard foot steps, when we looked this guy, uh, what's his name?" 

  
"Denver, or, wait, that's not it," Daniel said. 

  
"Dakota," Sharla corrected. 

  
"Dakota was taking a walk through the woods 'er something..." 

  
"With a back pack full of...deodorant, shampoo," Daniel pulled the wet things out of the back pack. "Underwear, pants, shirts, a book, oh, with a picture of an incredibly hot momma," Arizona slapped him. "Just kidding', you look better." 

  
"Whatever, he was walking through the woods when some guy attacked him, so I jumped in and all hell broke loose," Scott blurted, exasperated. 

  
"And we brought him home." Joe said with a grimace. 

  
"Hey, the guy's unconscious," Sharla said. "And hurt." 

  
"Well what can we do for him?" Joe asked. 

  
"What, would you just have us leave him out there, lying face down in the mud with a crazy man?" Scott said. 

  
"Scott, you have a whole group t' look after, you have t' worry about their safety, what if this guy needed t' be left out there, lying face down in the mud with the crazy man?" Daniel asked. 

  
Suddenly Dakota's eyes popped open and he sat up quickly. He lost his balance and fell off the couch. "Who the heck are you people, where am I, am I dead, why am I not dead?" 

His eyes were wild and he gripped the couch for protection. 

  
"He is crazy," Joe said. 

  
"Calm down," Sharla said. She sank to her knees beside him. "It's okay, you were attacked, Scott saved you and we brought you back here." 

  
"Where's here?" He asked looking a bit more calm. 

  
"Our house, we live on Pioneer Bend" Sharla said. 

  
"Who are you?" He scooted back away a bit more, still frightened. 

  
"We could ask you to' same question," Joe said crossing his arms. 

  
"Chill Joe," Sharla said. "My name's Sharla, I'm friends with Stephanie, remember, we met in the woods the other day." 

  
His eyes seemed to calm some more, just hearing a familiar name comforted him. He could barely remember what happened, and his thoughts were still a jumbled mess. 

"Sorry, I uh," he touched his head trying to think. "Thank you for saving me, I'm, Dakota Stevens...but, you remember that." He immediately regretted what he said. He could sense that they were werewolves. 

  
"Oh yeah, I've heard your name before," Daniel said. "You're the guy from Colorado, the Counsel want you because to did something bad like us. We're sort of hiding from the Counsel because too because we did some tellin' and stuff like that," Daniel said. 

  
"You moron don't tell him that," Joe said. 

  
"Hi, hello, I'm the leader, stop it Joe, we've just established that he's in the same trouble we're in," Scott said. 

  
"He knows anyway Joe, I told him," Sharla said. 

  
Dakota held his head in his hands, it hurt, but he couldn't quite remember why. All the yelling and information clouded his memory, which all ready sat in a complete state of confusion. "Look, I don't want t' be a problem," he tried to stand. "Y'all have problems of your own, I can leave." He fell back down on the floor. "Just give me a second, I'll get it." He felt drunk, he'd never been drunk before, but he figured that that had to be how it felt. 

  
"Now look sweetie," Arizona said helping him back up onto the couch. "After the story they told, you're not goin' anywhere for a while." 

  
"David, I have t' talk t'....David..." Dakota trailed off and passed out again. 

  
"Man, what did that guy do to him?" Arizona asked. 

  
"David? Who's David?" Sharla asked. 

  
"David, you think that could be old David, the really old guy who never wanted t' be an Elder," Scott asked. "He supposedly came down here from Colorado t' check on one of those big car corporation's that he owns." 

  
"It's possible," Joe said. "I heard the Counsel also suspected that he helped this guy."   
"Could we call him, I know the place he's checking on, maybe he could shed some light on this subject." Daniel said. 

  
"Couldn't hurt, especially if he did help this guy escape," Scott said. "Call 'it, Dan." 


	41. Connection

Chapter 41: Connection

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

  
David searched Xander's mind. Out cold. Now he looked for Dakota. The phone rang. He didn't move. Riley picked it up halfway out the door . 

  
"Hello, Austin Incorporated, this is Riley Austin, what can I do for you?" She looked over at her father. 

His hands were clenched, his jaw set, and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. 

  
"Can we talk t' David, please, it's very important," Daniel said. 

  
"Daniel is that you?" Riley asked. 

  
"Riley...Riley Austin? Is your dad David?" Daniel asked. 

  
"Yeah? Why?" She asked, glancing back over at him. 

  
"Does the name Dakota Stevens have any significance to you at all?" He asked. 

  
"Dakota?" Riley asked her voice squeaking. 

David's eyes popped open and his head whipped in her direction. 

"What about Dakota?" Riley asked. 

  
"My friend Scott caught up with 'it in the woods, he got attacked by some crazy guy..." 

  
"Xander," Riley breath. "Oh my gosh." She sat down in a chair and put her hand on her head. 

David took the phone. 

  
"Daniel, where's Dakota now," he asked calmly. 

  
"He's over at our house, unconscious, I'm not sure how badly he's hurt..." 

  
"Give me directions, I have t' see Dakota," David listened as Daniel told him the directions and he committed them to memory. "I'll be right over." 

He hung up. 

  
"I'm going to find Karma," Riley said. 

  
"OK, but be careful, I'll call you and let you know what happens."   



	42. Wake

Chapter 42: Wake

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***

  
Xander sat up and looked around. Slowly everything came back to him through the fog and what had happened became clear. A growl came out from deep in his throat. 

Stupid werewolves, he thought. Unless they're on your side they're trouble. 

He stood up and wiped the water from his face, the rain continued to beat down on him. 

Well, at least I can still get in touch with his mind, whoever got in mine didn't break the connection entirely. He walked through the wood toward the gas station where he had parked his car. 

First, I need to take a shower, then, I'll deal with Dakota.   



	43. Mental Fog

Chapter 43: Mental Fog

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

  
David leaned over the couch. Scott, Daniel, Sharla, Joe, and Arizona watched quietly. 

He'd been sitting there for five minuets, just sitting. He didn't seem to be doing anything. 

David searched Dakota's mind, he couldn't be sure how badly he had been hurt; how much had been physical, how much had been mental. He found the confusion and disarray Xander had put Dakota's mind in hard to look through. Thoughts of Julia would appear, only then to be taken over by thoughts of Stephanie. At times the only thing on his mind seemed to be the fear of Xander and what he would do to his friends, at others guilt would reign. 

Finally, David spoke through his thoughts. "Dakota, can you hear me?" He paused waiting for an answer. 

Nothing. 

Physically Dakota moaned and tried to push David away, but David grabbed his hands and held them still. 

"It's David, not Xander, stop blocking," he commanded. He watched as the mess in Dakota's head slowly cleared, and the shields began to drop. 

  
"David?" The voice came quietly, weakly, very distant. 

  
"You okay kid?" He asked. 

Again, no answer. 

The clouds started to return. 

David pushed them aside as carefully as he could. "Dakota, listen to me, You can't stay like this, you have to come out or you'll be stuck there forever, I can walk you out of this if you just listen," David said. 

  
"I can't, I can't, I'm all ready stuck, I-" 

  
"Stop it! You're not stuck yet-" 

  
"I am-" 

  
"Shut up, you are not." He paused listening to the silence. "Are you listening?" 

  
"Yeah." 

  
"You don't have to worry about Xander any more, he's gone for now, and if he comes back, you can fight him. You know all those bad thoughts you were having? Well they came from Xander. He's playing with your mind so stop listening. Do you hear me?" He waited.

Silence, then another voice. 

  
"What are you doing now? You're putting your friends in danger Dakota. The person who's trying t' help you is gonna die, and it'll be your fault." 

Xander. 

  
"Don't listen to him Dakota that's Xander, he's wrong, listen to my voice not his," David said louder. 

  
Massive clouds appeared again. 

Dakota fell into confusion again. He had no idea who to listen to. He tried to put up his shield but both intruders stopped him, one forcefully, and one gently. 

"David? Are you there?" He asked. 

  
David could barely hear him. "Dakota?" He asked. 

  
"Help," was all he could get out. 

Xander's iron grip over him had become too strong. 

  
"Dakota, just give up, you're going to lose. No one can help you now. You're going to die and you're going to take whoever else is in there with you." Xander said. 

He still could not see David, nor he could hear Dakota's thoughts, he could only feed him things. 

  
Something in Dakota snapped. 

A new vision came in of Julia. She smiled. So beautiful and strong. Her voice broke into his thoughts, something she had said a long time ago. "Being brave doesn't mean that you're not afraid, and being weak doesn't mean you can't do something amazing. You can be a super hero no matter how many times you've failed, and no matter what the odds are. You have it in you because God's in you." 

A sudden boost of strength shot through his mind. On Xander's end the shields shot up, the voice fleeted away. He pulled himself through the fog and clouds, and then, opened his eyes. His head pounded and every part of his body ached, but he could think clearly now, no more mist clouded his mind. 

  
"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" David asked smiling. He crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels. 

  
Dakota sat up painfully. "You sent that didn't you? The whole Julia thing right?" He asked. 

  
"No, at first I thought you were thinking that up on you're own, but then I checked, someone else tapped in," David replied. 

  
"Who was it?" Dakota asked. 

  
"I still don't know, someone more powerful than me, I could see past their shields. They obviously didn't want to be seen" 

  
"Huh?" 

  
"Excuse me, us hi, remember us?" Daniel asked. 

  
Dakota looked up. "Who are you?" He asked. 

  
"You don't remember?" Arizona asked. 

  
"No, come to think of it, where am I?" 

  
David laughed. "Did he talk to y'all earlier?" 

  
"Yeah," Scott replied. 

  
"He was delirious, he doesn't remember a thing from the time Xander attacked him." David said. 

  
"Sorry," Dakota shrugged. 

  
"To make a long story short," Sharla said. "Scott saved you, we brought you back here, and called David." 

  
"Sharla helped," Scott put in. 

  
"Thanks, but how's you know to call David?" Dakota asked. 

  
"You said his name, we put two and two together," Joe said. 

  
"I remember you from the woods the other day." Dakota rubbed his head. "Well I assume that because David is not rushing me out of here that y'all aren't gonna go ballistic and send me to the Counsel." 

  
"Nope, we're runnin' too, we had the same problems you had, sort of," Daniel said. 

  
David stood up. "Well, I hate to rush out, but we do need to leave and I need to talk with Dakota, so," he stretched. "I will see you later." 

  
Dakota stood up uneasily and David grabbed his arm. He extended a hand to Scott. "I owe you one man, thanks, hope someday I can return the favor." 

  
"Hey rebel's gotta stick together right?" 

  
Yeah, Dakota thought as he and David walked out to the car. We got no one else to trust.   



	44. Desire

Chapter 44: Desire

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

"Stop Karma, I mean it, I-" 

  
"Alex," she put her finger on his lips. "Stop fighting it. I know your thoughts, and your heart, your deepest desires." Her hands lingered at his belt. 

  
Stop it Alex, you're stronger than that, you can get away from her, his mind yelled. He pushed her away. 

  
In her mind's eye she saw Cody coming, she had to at least make him look bad. She grabbed him by his collar and kissed him. 

  
Cody turned the corner. What she saw nearly knocked her over. She felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Cody couldn't breath. Someone, she didn't know for sure who, held Alex in lip lock. She shut her eyes, turned, and ran. How could he do that to me? She thought. 

  
Alex pushed her away again and walked towards the parking lot. But then he turned and stopped. 

"You're right, I do want it," he paused rubbing his chest. "But not from you." 

  
Karma's jaw dropped. "Oh, and you think Cody will give it too you?" She asked. "She saw what just happened, and I don't think she was very happy." 

  
The sound of tires screeching caught his attention. He whirled around to see Cody's mustang flooring it down the street towards the highway. 

Alex ran to his car. 

  
"Alex, it's too late, give it up," Karma said, appearing beside his car. 

  
He ignored her and jumped in, then sped off after Cody. 

"Alex," A voice inside his head sang. "She all ready suspicious of you, don't bother." 

  
"Get out of my mind," Alex yelled at the voice. 

He put up his shield, the headache from earlier returned. He caught up with Cody. Pulling around to the left side of her car he honked at her and rolled down his window. 

She glanced at him, then sped up. 

Alex matched her speed. 

She refused to look at him. 

Fine, you have to stop sometime, he thought. I'll just follow you until you do. He slowed down and got behind her. 

Cody slowed at the light and turned right. 

What do you want Alex? She thought wiping the tears from her eyes. You can't have the cake and eat it too. She turned into her neighborhood, up her driveway and into her garage. 

Alex pulled in front of her house as her garage door shut. He waited for a moment, then got out of his car, walked up to her door and knocked. 

  
It opened and Cody appeared. 

Alex silently watched her tear stained face for a moment, at a loss for words. He waited too long, she slammed the door. 

He knocked again. 

  
"Go away Alex!" She yelled. 

  
"Cody, you don't understand, open the door please!" He fought his own tears. Rain poured harder and thunder echoed through the sky. Alex waited. 

Silence. 

He pounded on the door again. "Cody, please, don't..." 

  
'Stop Alex, you can't do anything, you're a worthless piece of garbage, you've broken her heart and ruined your life,' the voice broke through. 'Give it up." 

  
"Don't jump to conclusions Cody...please," Alex slumped down by the door, and leaned his head against the window. The pain in his chest intensified. 

  
Cody could see him through the window at the top of the stairs in her house. He looked miserable, honest even. What if I'm just being paranoid, she thought. But then why was he kissing that girl?   
  



	45. Angel of Doom

Chapter 45: Angel of Doom

PLEASE Read and Review! 

***

Karma whipped around at the pressure on her shoulder. 

In front of her stood The Angel of Doom. An eerie blue light glowed at the edges of the tiny frame and the tendrils of curly hair swept back behind her. 

  
"What, do you want?" Ice spiked off every word but the heart racing none the less. 

  
"Leave Alex alone, he doesn't know anything," the silk floated out of the cherry lips. 

  
Karma took a breath and stepped up to her tiny adversary. "Who's gonna stop me honey, you?" 

  
The red bled across the girl's face and a blue light filled Karma's vision. The chill filled her body. 

*** 

Author's Note: In case you're confused, that was Riley with Karma.


	46. Bip

Chapter 46: Bip

PLEASE Read and Review! As always thank you soooooo much! I love you guys!

***

Dakota adjusted his backpack on his shoulders as David helped him limp up to the apartment. The rain formed walls on either side of them on the stairs and the humidity tried to suffocate them. Why David insists on living on the top floor is beyond me, Dakota thought. 

Lightning illuminated the sky and an explosion ripped through the air. 

  
"Dakota," Riley said smiling. "Be proud, you've reached the top alive." 

  
"Who said anything about being alive?" He laughed gasping for breath. 

  
"Good morning!" A voice said. 

  
They looked over to the other apartment. A young man, not much older than Dakota, sat with his legs hanging through the bars letting the rain pour down over them. He tugged on the strings that hung from his khaki shorts and his tan skin bled through the long-sleeved white shirt. Then he ran a hand through his brown hair and flung the water from it. 

  
"Good morning Bip," David said grinning. 

  
"Good morning?" Dakota asked. Riley waved her hand at her hip telling him not to ask. 

  
"Dakota, this is Bip our neighbor," David said. 

  
Bip hopped up and extended a thin tan arm. "Hi Dakota, you moving' in with them?" He asked. 

  
Dakota thought he sounded like a little kid and his big black eyes, along with a splattering of brown across his nose and cheeks gave him the look of one. 

"Yeah, I uh, I'm gonna room with them for a while," he said slowly looking at David. 

  
In his mind he heard David answer. 'Don't worry, he's harmless."

  
"Well, that's cool, maybe we'll run into each other sometime," Bip replied standing up. 

"Need any help with your bags?" 

  
"No, we're good thanks," Riley said. 

  
"Okay, see you later," Bip flopped back down beside his door again and let his legs hang in the rain. 

  
"Bye," they said and walked into the house. 

  
"Bip?" Dakota asked. 

  
"His mom was really in to miming, and there was some great mime..." 

  
"Mime." David corrected her. 

  
She rolled her eyes. "Mime, who had a particular character named Bip, and so she named her son Bip," Riley finished. 

  
"So was his mom on drugs?" Dakota asked. 

  
"No, but she died about two years ago from cancer, afterwards his dad wanted nothing to do with him" David replied. 

  
"How old is he?" Dakota asked. 

  
"Just turned 18," Riley replied. She picked up her little pug and stroked it. "Hello Chewie." 

  
"Is he in college?" 

  
"No, he, didn't make it into college, he's...not so bright," David said. "Here's your room." He opened a door to a small room. A lamp on the nightstand lit the room dimly. Dakota sat on the little bed in the corner. 

  
"What does he do for a living?" Dakota asked. 

  
"He lifeguards during the summer, and works at a two restaurants during the winter," David replied. "All right sit down, I need to make sure you're OK." 

  
Dakota sat on the bed with his mouth shut as David examined the burns on his neck. "I don't understand." 

  
"When Xander absorbs people's powers he leaves marks as a vampire would." David explained. "So when Scott forced him off, it reacted the same way it would have if a vampire had sunk it's teeth into your neck and had been yanked away. However, the burns can be quite a bit more damaging than a vampire's bite. They are sometimes poisonous, left there purposefully by Xander if he does not fulfilled his original goal." 

  
After a few moments he sighed. "Your OK. Looks like Xander was so taken off guard that he didn't have time to react. However, he didn't go empty handed, he still has some of your power. Almost all of it." 

  
Dakota stared at his feet. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the rain softly danced on the window. "Sorry, David, I- I read Alex's mind last night, and when I saw Xander I got scared and...something happened," he said. 

He knew he'd screwed up by leaving. Now Xander had to know that David had been the one helping him all along. He put his head in his hands. Too much stress, he thought.   
David put his arm around Dakota's shoulders. A father to a son. 

"It's not your fault, it'..." 

  
"Yes it is!" Dakota said. "I should have known t' block him. I'm such an idiot." 

  
He stood up. 

Mistake, his stomach churned, the room spun, he fell to his knees and vomited. David bent down and patted his back. Riley came running in with a bowl, a towel and a damp wash cloth. She cleaned up and walked out. David pulled Dakota up onto the bed. 

  
"That's Xander taking." David paused and stared at him for a long time. His pale face and dulled eyes made him look so thin and sick. 

  
"I'm so tired," Dakota said quietly. "Can hardly breath." 

  
"I'll let you get some rest, for now that's all we can do." David stood, turned the lamp off, and left the room. 

  
Riley sat out on the balcony staring at the rain. In the distance a rainbow grew. She sighed and breath in the damp air. Sounds of birds chirping filled her ears. Even in the rain, she thought. Riley had always admired birds, they worked hard but they forever sang joyfully. She hummed to her self, and cracked her knuckles. The sliding door opened and her father walked out and stood behind her. She didn't turn around. 

  
"How is he?" She feared the look on his face. His facial expressions always gave him away. 

  
"Xander had nearly killed him, and it will take a long time for him to heal. He lost almost all of his power, and if Scott had waited a second longer Dakota would be dead." David said flatly. 

  
"Any good news?" Riley asked. 

  
"If he does survive, he'll be much stronger." 

  
"How's that?" 

  
"He has very little power left so he'll have to push it in order to do anything, including block Xander out of his mind, so when he heals... well, you get the message." David replied. 

  
Riley laughed. "I remember the first time I met Xander in that dark alley, I wanted to rip his-" 

  
"Riley," David warned. 

  
"Still a dad to the end." Riley remarked with a smile. 

  
"Hey, somebody's got to keep you in line." 

  
They sat in silence. The sun peaked between the apartments and created a rainbow through the rain. Thunder mumbled in the distance, a passing giant. The rain retreated, for the time being.   



	47. Ice

Chapter 47: Ice

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***

Karma gritted her teeth as she sat up in her car. Her hair dripped with melting ice. 

"That child is going to die if it destroys me." 

She breathed deep, icy shards pricking her chest. 

"Now back to Alex." 

Her cell phone turned warm as she waited to Xander pick up. "Xander," she said when he answered. "Let's go for Alex." 


	48. Confession

Chapter 49: Confession 

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***

Alex shivered. The rain had not relented the whole time he had been sitting at Cody's door, and not an article of clothing on his body stayed dry. He shut his eyes as the rain grew harder. I'm not leaving, he thought. She'll have to talk to me sometime.   
Something nailed him in the forehead. He opened his eyes. 

Great, hailstones. 

I'm normally an optimist but this day just couldn't possibly get worse. Alex hid his head in his hands to shield himself from the hail. Not that it didn't throb in pain anyway, for the past hour he had been blocking off all access to his mind and his headache grew worse by the minuet. At one point it had relented, but that only lasted for ten minutes. Karma enjoyed torturing people who did not let her in. Plus Alex's power still had much developing to do, so it took a lot of concentration and energy to block people out, especially someone powerful like Karma. 

  
Cody still sat at the top of her stairs and looked down on Alex. She worried as she looked at the angry black sky. Cody felt bad before because of the rain, but now it hailed. She shook her head and ran upstairs. 

  
Alex's heart jolted when the door opened. Warmth covered his neck. Cody stood there with two towels. "I was hoping that when it started to hail you'd leave," she said, her voice still shook with emotion. "But you didn't, so come in." 

  
Alex stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "Cody, you don't have to do anything for me, I don't want your sympathy, I just wanted to explain." He said. 

  
"Well the rain's getting in my house so come in anyway." 

  
Alex walked onto the towel on the entryway floor. He tried to avoid her red eyes and face all together. Cody handed him the other towel. 

  
"Talk," she said. "I'm listening." 

  
"Do you mind if I sit down?" He asked sheepishly, the headache grew worse as he shivered. 

  
"Fine," Cody sat down on the stairs, Alex on the towel. "Go ahead." 

  
Alex pursed his lips and rubbed his chin. He needed to choose his words wisely. "That girl you saw," he started. "That's Karma." He paused, deep down he wanted to tell her everything, if he tried to leave things out, it would be lying, and he didn't want to do that. Telling her would be breaking a law, but he couldn't lie anymore. "I'm sorry, there's a lot I need to tell you in order to make this make sense." 

  
"Tell," Cody replied. 

  
"You won't believe me." 

  
"Try me," Cody raised her eye brows. 

  
Alex sighed. "OK, how do I start? I can read people's minds. Now don't object yet," he said noticing the look on her face. "Just hear me out." This is you last chance to do something right with Cody, Alex, don't mess up.   



	49. Movie Times

Chapter 49: Movie Times

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

"Where do you think he went?" Stephanie asked Danny and Brandy. 

  
They had been in Brandy's living room trying to decide what movie to see when Alex called earlier to let Danny know that Dakota had disappeared. He didn't give any details, just asked them to pray and hung up. Stephanie's mind boggled but Danny and Brandy didn't act too curious. 

  
"Don't know, sometimes people just go crazy," Danny said. "So what movie do you want to go to?" 

  
"Danny, Dakota doesn't seem the type." Stephanie said. 

  
"There's Sum of All Fears, The Bourne Identity, Minority Report, Scooby Doo..." 

  
"No, not Scooby Doo," Brandy said. "All ready seen it." 

  
"Why would he run away?" Stephanie asked, she had become very annoyed, they weren't taking her seriously. 

  
"Eight Legged Freaks, Crocodile Hunter..." 

  
"Blah, neither, keep reading," Brandy said. 

  
"Hello, why are y'all changing the subject?" Stephanie said, irritated. 

  
"Like Mike, Halloween Resurrection, MIB II..." 

  
"Don't want to see it, don't like scary movies, heard it was terrible, move on." 

  
"Listen too me!" Stephanie yelled. 

  
They both looked at her, slightly surprised. 

  
"Now that I have your attention," Stephanie said. "You two know something because if you didn't, you wouldn't be ignoring my questions." 

  
"Lilo and Stitch, Road to-..." 

  
"Danny!" Stephanie grabbed the news paper from his hands. "You are a terrible liar!" 

  
Danny sighed. "She's a smart one isn't she?" 

  
Brandy nodded, then looked at Stephanie. "Call Riley." She said. "We can't tell, maybe she can." 

  
"Is this a joke?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"No joke," Danny said. 

  
"I'll go to her apartment," Stephanie said and turned to leave. She stopped and turned around. "If y'all are joking I'll kill you." 

  
"Hey, go find you're boyfriend," Brandy laughed. 

  
Stephanie blushed then ran out of the door off to her car. Brandy and Danny looked at each other. "Did we do the right thing?" Brandy asked. 

  
"I think so, Riley and David are smarter than we are," he paused. "You want to just watch Better off Dead? I mean, it's here at my house." 

  
"Sure."   



	50. Filling in the Gaps

Chapter 50: Filling in the Gaps

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

Riley poured Dakota another cup of coffee and sat down on the couch beside him. "Feelin' any better?" 

  
"After a two hour nap you would think I would feel considerably better," Dakota said with a grin. The heat floated up to his nose. "But in my case, only a little." 

  
Riley sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could kill Xander. He's been nothing but trouble ever since I met him." 

  
"And when exactly was that?" Dakota asked. 

  
"I met him when I was seventeen, in a dark alley no less. He attacked me and that's when I got my power." 

  
Dakota nodded. "What was your first power?" 

  
"Super human strength," Riley laughed. "When Xander attacked me I freaked out. He'd severely crossed the line. All of a sudden I lifted him off my chest and beat the crap out of him. He ran home with his tail between his legs, it sure felt good to teach him a lesson." 

  
"That's awesome, I wish I could do that, kick Xander's butt I mean," Dakota said. 

  
Riley put a hand on his arm. "You miss your family and Julia don't you?" She asked. 

  
"More than anything," he paused and looked up at her. "Your mom, who was she, did she die, or what?" 

  
Riley cracked her knuckles. "Well, I guess since I have one of your secrets you can have one of mine." She paused and stared out the window. "When my Dad was living in New York he wasn't as...respectable as he is now, didn't have the same morals. One night some of his friend threw a party, our kind only, he got drunk and well, you can guess what happened after that." 

  
"He pulled an old Alex," Dakota said. 

  
"Yeah," Riley laughed. "Now here's the funny part. The woman he spent the night with was one of his least favorite women in the entire world next to Karma. Her name is Ariel, she is now apart of the Council, and she hates normal people with a serious passion. You know the Salem Witch trials? Her husband was killed during one of them. But anyway. She's a little crazy, didn't want David to have me. Also she really wanted her baby to be born like her, with power, that's why she slept with my dad, because he was so powerful. Well I was born normal. So she tried to force my change, which is not a healthy thing by the way, and nearly killed me. But David came to my rescue and convinced the Council

to give me up to him." 

  
"Wow, he must be very persuasive," Dakota said. 

  
"You bet, and brave, and self sacrificing..." 

  
"And don't forget handsome." 

  
They turned to the door. David walked in and hung his jacket up. 

  
"Of course handsome," Riley giggled. Still a little girl at heart. 

  
"You told him my secret," David walked to the couch and towered over her. "Now I must kill him." He tackled Dakota and Riley jumped on top. 

  
"No fair," Dakota said hoarsely. "I'm ill." 

  
They wrestled on the ground with him for a moment. Riley laughed so hard that she could not use her power to save him. David pushed her off and tickled her. 

  
"I give, I give up!" Riley laughed. 

  
"No, never give up, attack me," David said. 

  
"Are you sure you want that?" She asked. "I'm warning you, you don't want that." 

  
"Oh really?" David asked. "Attack me." 

  
"Okay." Riley pushed up and pinned him on his back. "Told ya." She smiled. 

  
"Better," David smiled. They got up, and David glanced at Dakota's flushed face. "Still not feeling well?" He asked. 

  
"Man, you know everything don't you?" Dakota said. 

  
"Of course." 

  
Dakota looked down at his hands. "Not particularly." 

  
"Sorry," David sat back in his leather easy chair. "Be a man." 

  
Dakota shook his head and Riley sat cross legged on the floor. "Hey, he deserves a break right? Where's Xander right now dad, do you know?" 

  
"At his apartment sulking for the moment," David replied. "But it won't last long. He'll be back to try and find Dakota before long." 

  
"What about Karma?" 

  
"Oh, I forgot about her. I'll look in a little while." 

  
"Xander and Karma eh? They seem to cause a lot of problems don't they?" Bip stood in the doorway of their apartment. 

  
"Hey Bip," David said. 

  
"What? He knows?" Dakota asked. 

  
"Yeah, we said he was slow, but he still figure us out." Riley said. 

  
"Hey," Bip pointed a finger at Riley. "I'm not slow, I'm special." 

  
"How'd you figure it out?" Dakota asked. 

  
"David broke my fall," Bip said. 

  
"Huh? 

  
"Bip was up on the roof of the apartments doing who knows what, and he fell. I wasn't thinking clearly and so instead of just catching him I stopped him with my mind," David said. 

  
"What were you doing up on that roof Bip?" Riley asked. 

  
"I was bird watching," he said. 

  
"Bip, shut the door and come in," Riley said with a motherly voice. 

  
"Yes ma'am," Bip shut the door and sat down on the carpet beside her. Chewie came waddling over and licked his hand. Bip picked him up and scratched his head. "What kind of problems is Xander causing now?" 

  
David shook his head. "It's a long story and I have something to do. So Riley and Dakota, you explain it." He stood and walked out of the room. 

  
"OK," Dakota sighed. "It all started with this girl named Julia."   



	51. Reconciliation Interrupted

Chapter 51: Reconciliation Interrupted 

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

"Hold still," Cody said.

  
"But, ow, that hurts," Alex wined. 

  
"I'm not going to let you catch a cold." 

  
Cody stood on the stairs rubbing his head with a towel. He had just spent an hour explaining to her how people got their powers, how he got his because of his first kiss, and the whole Dakota story, not skipping anything. 

  
"You're such a baby," Cody said. 

  
"I'm very particular about my hair," Alex argued. "Ow." 

  
Cody knelt down beside him on the stairs. "There, all dry." 

  
Alex sighed and ran a hand through the tangled mess on his head. "I'm sorry to get you sucked into all of this Cody. Now we're in the same boat Dakota's in....or was in." 

  
She slid a hand around his shoulders and leaned her head on one of them. "I'm willing to take that risk," she looked up into his face. "You're my best friend and I love you. I'll take all of you, even the dangerous parts." 

  
Alex laughed and then suddenly whitened. His eyelids disappeared and his mouth dropped. "Cody get out of here." 

  
"What?" 

  
"Get in my car, call Riley and get to her house," he whispered. "Xander and Karma are here." 

  
The lights of the house went out. Alex put his keys in her hand and pushed her to the door. It flung open to reveal Xander with a gust of icy wind.   



	52. Selfless Love

Chapter 52: Selfless Love 

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

David and Dakota sat at the kitchen table. At some point during the evening Dakota had gotten ravenously hungry. So David made him dinner. Out side the rain had started again, it would never stop. Inside, the only sound other than David and Dakota's voices happened to be the soft lull of Riley and Bip's laughter. 

  
"They're not together are they?" Dakota asked. 

  
David smiled. "No, Riley wants a more dominate man, not a little brother." 

  
"Has she ever been in love, or is it my business?" Dakota asked. 

  
"Yeah, but he is now apart of the Council." David began. "He felt that there were some serious things that needed to be changed, and he thought he could do it." 

  
"Things like Ariel?" Dakota asked. 

  
David laughed. "Yeah, he and Ariel definitely don't see eye to eye, plus, he doesn't agree with the laws that you're in trouble for, so he's up there fighting for you." 

  
Dakota smiled. It felt good to know that someone fought for him up there with the counsel. "So what happened between them?" He asked. 

  
"I still don't know where they are. They love each other, I know that. Love like there's, love that is selfless and sacrificial, doesn't die. Riley would have gone with him I think, to fight with him against the counsel, but the head council member, Paul...doesn't approve of her." David explained. 

  
"Why?" Dakota asked. 

  
"Because he knows he can't have her," a voice said. They turned to see a tall, young-looking man sitting on the windowsill. 

  
"Kristopher, you always did have a way of entering a room without being noticed," David stood up and smiled. 

  
"Kristopher? Riley and Kristopher?" Dakota asked. 

  
"I know, I know, why didn't we tell you, right?" Kristopher said, he put and ankle on his knee. "It was never brought up. So I never mentioned it." 

  
"Oh brother," Dakota laughed. "That's exactly the kind of nonchalant answer I'd expect from you." 

  
"So what brings you here?" David asked. 

  
"Well," Kristopher pushed his fingers through his wet bark brown hair. "Two reasons. One, I want to see Riley, and two, Council's getting absolutely unbearable." 

  
"You want me to talk to them don't you?" David asked. 

  
Kristopher shrugged. "Hey, I'm not one to lie, you are smarter than me. You're at least, what, five hundred years older than I am?" 

  
"Oh come on, I'm not that old." 

  
"So you gonna help me or what?" He asked. 

  
"You always were straight to the point weren't you?" David said. "Let me sleep on it, meanwhile, you go catch up with Riley and you can share a room with Dakota if you want to stay." 

  
"Thanks pops," Kristopher said, and hopped off the window seal. 

  
"Hey," Kristopher stopped and looked back at David. "Be respectable with that girl of mine." 

  
"I will do no less." He walked out. 

  
David sat back down at the table. "Kids these days." 

  
Dakota laughed. "You're not that old." 

  
"Pretty old." 

  
"No older than, who was it, Methuselah, right? Dakota said. 

  
"Okay, maybe not that old." 

  
"How old are you?" 

  
"Only four hundred, four hundred and one tomorrow," David said. "Man...I feel old." 

  
"Don't feel bad, you don't look it." Dakota said. "How old're Riley and Kristopher?" 

  
"Riley's one hundred and Kristopher is one hundred and ten." 

  
"Scary, I hope I don't get that old." Dakota shuddered. 

  
"Well, let's keep you alive as long as we can." David said. 

  
We can try, Dakota thought. We can try. 

  
Meanwhile, Kristopher squatted down and crept into the living room. Riley sat alone on the couch with her Bible, Bip had gone home. Kristopher leaned around the couch and kissed Riley's neck. She turned around startled and he swept her up. 

  
"Hello, how's my Baby Doll?" He asked and sat down on the couch with her still in his arms. 

  
She smiled and kissed him. "I missed you, but I'm better now," Riley said. "Get sick of Council?" 

  
Kristopher rolled his eyes and rubbed her arm. "Make them go away, those old fogies are gonna drive me crazy." He leaned close to her face, their noses touched. 

  
"Your eyes have changed colors again," Riley said. 

  
"I know, every time I develop a new power," Kristopher answered shaking his head. 

"First I had brown eyes, then I had that nasty boating accident and I could change my shape so my eyes were blue, then I had that car crash and I could move things with my mind and my eyes turn purple, and the newest improvement is when I almost got killed by Ariel before a meeting, which was by far the most frightening, and I can now run through walls, so my eyes turn gray," he shrugged. "I don't know." 

  
"I like your eyes," Riley moved off his lap onto the couch and leaned against his chest. 

'Why can't I stay here forever?'   



	53. No Strings

Chapter 53: No Strings 

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

Stephanie shook the rain off her umbrella and knocked on the apartment door. 'Please let her be home Father,' she prayed. 

  
Riley sat up. She had fallen asleep to the sound of Kristopher singing softly in her ear. Normally she would not have put herself in a situation like that, where she could have slipped up and slept with him, but she had been so tired. She moved his large arm and stood up carefully, attempting not to wake him. Riley opened the door. 

  
"Stephanie, something happen?" She asked quietly. 

  
"Dakota skipped town, Danny and Brandy said to talk to you. I-I need to see him." Stephanie said. She shivered. 

  
Riley's mouth dropped. Normal people are getting smarter and smarter, she thought. "Come in, don't stand out there and freeze." She said. 

  
They walked into the living room. Kristopher had rolled over on his side on the couch. He mumbled. Riley shook him gently. He opened his eyes. Beautiful gray eyes. "Sweetie go lay down in there on the bed," she pointed to her room. 

  
"Sorry," he said standing up groggily. 

  
"No, it's OK, it's just more comfy there," she said. He patted her head and disappeared into her bedroom. 

  
"Boyfriend?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Yeah, I'll introduce you sometime, oh and that's not my room it's a guest room, don't worry," Riley said quickly to Stephanie's worried face. "Sit down." They sat. "You want anything to drink?" 

  
"No, thanks I'm fine." 

  
Riley sighed. "So what's your question," she said. 

  
"I was talking to Danny and Brandy this afternoon, I was asking lots of questions but they kept changing the subject. I finally made them answer me. They said they didn't know, but you would, or I could at least talk to you." Stephanie explained. 

  
"Why do you want to see him so badly?" Riley knew the answer, she could see it in Stephanie's face. She wanted to know why he seemed so different. 

  
"I- there's something about him, I've always liked him a lot, but there's something different, I have to know the truth, I have to see him," Stephanie's word's echoed Riley's thought's. 

  
"This doesn't have anything to do with Xander does it?" Riley asked. 

  
"Xander, who's that?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Never mind." Riley stood. "Give me just a second, I'll be right back." She left the room.

  
Stephanie stared around the apartment. Candles lit the corners and no lights were on, except in the kitchen. She couldn't see into it from the couch because of a wall that just covered it. She stared at the picture on the coffee table, all sketches, and there were wooden figures sitting on top of a small book shelf. No TV, she thought. How weird. Stephanie heard footsteps behind her and turned expecting to see Riley, but that's not who she saw. 

  
"Hi," Dakota said sheepishly. He looked terrible. His dull eyes and chalky white skin gave him the look of one who'd been in the grave. His shirt hung off of him more than usual as if he had lost weight and it and his hair appeared dark with sweat. 

  
"Dakota, what happened to you? Why'd you leave?" Stephanie asked standing up. 

  
Dakota walked to the couch and flopped down, exhausted. Stephanie sat as well. He licked his dry lips. "I have a secret to tell you," he began. "When a human gets and adrenaline rush they are able to do amazing things. Mother's lift entire cars off of their children and so on. 'Fight or flight' is what the health experts call it." He took a deep breath as if he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. "Well part of the human race has been missing out. If they could get scared enough, and take their rush to the next level, reach out to the racing heart, the flowing blood, they could do something ten times more amazing that any of the stories you hear on the news. Some humans have, some have the power to do things most people can only dream of." 

  
"What?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Some people have the power to reach into your very mind, some, can control objects. Now hear me out, when I was twelve I caught a life threatening case of pneumonia, I told you about that remember? One night, I got so scared, I was so sick, I couldn't breath on my own, I was vomiting, I thought I was going to die, right then and there. I got that rush, with all my heart I wanted to live, so I used every bit of strength in me. I felt something strange, like a double rush, so I reached for it. Well it turned out I had only been freaking out I probably would not have died, it wasn't my time to go. But then, suddenly I could move things with my mind-" 

  
"Are you crazy?" Stephanie asked. 

  
He didn't say a word, he just looked over at the book shelf and lifted it into the air. 

  
"What are you lo-" she saw the book case. "Oh my goodness." She walked over to it and waved her hands on all sides. 

No strings. 

She stood transfixed for a moment. 

Dakota set it down and waited for her next reaction. Stephanie walked back over to the couch and sat down. 

  
"You aren't crazy," she said. 

  
Dakota laughed. "No, and I wasn't lying." 

  
"Can you do anything else?" 

  
"No, not yet." 

  
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Because of this group of people like me who make rules to protect us. They are a lot older and some think they are wiser." Dakota explained. 

  
"Hey," Kristopher said coming in. "We are wiser. At least some of us." He walked into the kitchen. 

  
"Anyway, they have a rule that says we can't tell normal people about our powers." Dakota said. 

  
"Why?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"I don't know, there may be an apocalypse or something, asked one of them." 

  
"But if you're careful about who you tell then what's the big deal?" Stephanie asked, the shock had started to wear off. 

  
"That's what I said," Kristopher exclaimed coming back in with a glass of milk. 

  
"Are you, on the council?" She asked slowly.

Kristopher looked around suspiciously. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He walked out of the room dramatically. 

  
Stephanie looked at Dakota. "Was he serious?" 

  
"Hah, no, Kristopher is a Counsel member, but he doesn't think their way." Dakota said. 

  
"So, does Julia's death have anything to do with...all this?" Stephanie asked. 

  
Dakota looked down. "Yeah, they didn't like me falling in love with her, so they sent this guy named Xander to get rid of her and me-" 

  
"Xander?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"Yeah, he's got a thing against me. Anyway, they took control of some wolves and killed her, then my parents. Xander has the power to absorb other people's powers so that's why I couldn't do anything. He was going to arrest me and take me back to the council but David gave me back my powers and I ran. It was all my fault, I should have been more careful with what I did, but..." 

  
"It wasn't your fault, you said you couldn't do anything, don't feel that way," she touched his ice cold cheek. "So you aren't allowed to love a normal person, and you are encouraged to lie?" 

  
"Pretty, much," he said and laughed. 

  
"Next question, why do you look like you went to hell and came back again?" Stephanie asked smiling. 

  
He shook his head. "Xander tortured me. Then he nearly killed me, you do the math. Oh, and I forgot, he took half my powers, so what you just saw is all I have," he smiled. 

  
"How are you going to get them back?" She asked. 

  
"I don't know, David and I haven't discussed that yet and he's still trying to find Xander and his partner Karma," Dakota sighed. "Besides, according to the Counsel, he has every right to take them." 

  
"Wow, I'm sorry, I wish there was something I could do to help," she grabbed his clammy hand and squeezed it. 

  
"There's not, just being here helps." They sat in silence for a moment, just holding hands. 

Dakota's heart raced. 

I have to make sure they don't find out about her. He thought. They won't kill anyone else because of me. I'll die before I let that happen.   



	54. Threatening Words

Chapter 54: Threatening Words

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
* * *   
Ariel walked down the stairs to the dungeons. Dripping and moaning echoed against the cement walls. At the far corner of the room, the guards could sleep when they were off duty. She flung open one of the doors without knocking. Jagger lay on one of the bottom bunks and looked up groggily but did not flinch. 

  
"Ariel, what brings you down here?" He asked propping him self up on his elbow. The muscles bulged in his arms and Ariel fought the attraction. Instead she growled at him. 

  
"Jagger, you've been guarding here for a long time correct." She said calmly. 

  
He stared at her. "Oh, that wasn't a rhetorical question?" He asked. 

  
The growl rumbled in her throat again. 

  
"Yes, the answer is yes," he rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. 

  
"Well," Ariel continued. "It seems to me, that every time in the past three months that your cell gets a new occupant they seem to escape, why is that Jagger?" 

  
He stretched and cracked his knuckles, then he yawned. "I'm sorry, I have failed, I should be fired," he said. 

  
"You've been letting them escape haven't you?" She said. 

  
"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Jagger stretched again, his abs contracted. 

  
Ariel did not like to be mocked. She sprang at him, her claws coming out. Jagger simply rolled off the bed and she hit the wall. He stood up and she hissed at him. 

  
"Down kitty, put the claws back in their place," Jagger said shaking a finger at her. "What would Paul say about control?" 

  
She jumped on him again but he grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the bed. "Let me up," she said, her eyes flashed red. 

  
"Aw, but Ariel, if I did that, you might jump at me again, I don't want to have to de-claw you," he smiled. 

  
"I'm warning you," she said in a sing-song voice and smiling back. "You had better get off me." She didn't give him a chance. Her eyes glowed, lightning broke through the glass, struck him and he fell against the wall. Ariel stepped on his chest, her claws out. 

  
"Okay," he put his hands up. "Midol woman please." 

  
She slashed his face then grabbed his shirt. "Tell me now, how have you been letting them escape?" 

  
Jagger thought for a moment. "Okay, come closer, it's a secret." 

  
Ariel rolled her eyes but leaned forward anyway. 

  
"I'll never te-ell," he sang, and laughed. 

  
She slapped him again, the claws dug into his flesh. 

  
"Did you see that movie? Man, that kid gave me the creeps." 

  
"Why have you been letting them go?" Ariel asked again. 

  
"Let's just say I don't agree with some of the rules upstairs and I have a thing for blondes," Jagger replied. 

  
Ariel walked to the door. 

  
"What, don't have the guts to kill me?" Jagger asked standing up and rubbing his back. 

  
"You're so simple minded," Ariel said, then walked out the door. 


	55. Lost Without You

Chapter 55: Lost Without You

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
"You are the Air I breath, you are the air I breath, your holy presence, living in me. You are my daily bread, you are my daily bread, your very words, spoken to me. And I-I, I'm desperate for you, oh Lord. And I-I, I'm lost without you." 

  
"You always did have the most angelic voice I ever heard when you sang praises to God Riley," Kristopher said, as he walked out onto the balcony and stood behind her. 

  
"It's all about him, I have to sing, especially when I'm at the peek of certain emotions," Riley replied. 

  
Kristopher put his hands on her shoulders. "Things are getting a bit crazy aren't they?" 

  
Riley leaned back into his chest. "I can't see a way out of this mess, the rules need to be altered, Dakota's in big time trouble, my mother is being ridiculous, my father has to go face her, and I'm afraid that you are going to act foolishly," she turned around and gave him worried smile. 

  
"What, me? Why would you think I'd act foolishly?" He asked. 

  
"When you don't get your way sweetheart it drives you crazy, you go blind and in trying to do the right thing, you do something foolish," she asserted. Her soft hand caressed his cheek. 

  
Kristopher took her chin in his hand. "You think I'm going to get into a fight with Paul, don't you?" 

  
"He wants you to fight him Kristopher, you challenged his authority and he will not have it, I know him," she laughed. "He's even more foolish than you are when it comes to being right." 

  
"Riley, I've been praying about this particular subject for a long time," he turned and looked out at the rain. "I know I act somewhat rashly, but I read something the other day that made me...I don't know, calm down a bit before the last council meeting maybe. It said, 'A gentle answer turns away wrath, but hash words stir up anger,' or something to that effect. I'm gonna try to live that out Riley, I promise." He pulled her close.

  
"Too bad Paul doesn't have the same philosophy," Riley said. 

  
Paul, Kristopher thought. God please help me to have patience with Paul.   



	56. Goodbye Alex

Chapter 56: Goodbye Alex

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
"Xander." 

  
"Hello Alex, Cody," he said. He stepped inside pushing them forward and the door slammed behind him. 

  
"What do you want?" Alex asked. 

  
"Well, I figured it was time to set Cody straight about what kind of man she's getting involved with-" 

  
"Xander, get out of my house. Alex has told me all about his past in Colorado, I don't need to hear it from you too," Cody cut him off. 

  
"And what exactly did he tell you?" 

  
"Hi, Xander, are you deaf and an idiot?" Cody asked. "I said get out. I don't even know you why do you think I'd listen to you over Alex?" 

  
"You're making a big mistake Cody.." 

  
"Xander, I know you're just trying to get me to break and tell you that I know something about Dakota, but it won't work anymore, I don't know anything, he skipped town," Alex said trying not to yell now. 

  
"Whatever, I found Dakota and I almost had him, I even absorbed most of his power, but someone stopped me, so why don't you just give up the act. I'll find him, then I'll pin you for helping him, then I'll probably find the person who helped him and pin him to, it's a loose loose situation, Alex, give up," Xander said. 

  
"You found him?" Alex stood shocked for a moment. 

  
"Yeah I found him but I lost him," Xander reiterated. 

  
Alex shook his head. He got away right? I don't need to worry, Alex thought. "How much did you hurt him," Alex asked. A heat burned inside of him. 

  
"The kid's near dead Alex, so why don't you just give it up and save your little girlfriend a lot of heart ache by coming with me," Xander said. 

  
"Shut up!" Everyone looked at Cody. "Shut up, Xander, you are the biggest jerk I've ever met in my entire life, and I want you to leave right now!" 

  
Xander's eyes flickered red and he raised his hand to smack Cody, but he didn't get any further. 

Alex tackled him and pinned him to the ground. 

He pushed his way into Xander's mind. "Leave, just leave," Alex said angrily. 

He couldn't think of anything else to say. All the anger he had been building up came through and his power level leapt to the sky. He held Xander with and iron grip and Xander could not escape. Alex stared into his eyes unblinking and Xander did the same. "Xander you are going to leave when I let you up, and you'll go back to the Council and...and..." he couldn't think of his next command. 

  
"Alex, look out!" Cody yelled, but she didn't yell soon enough. 

  
Karma grabbed Alex by the arm and threw him across the room. She took hold of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Oh Alex, don't look so surprised," she said. Lightning illuminated the room and thunder crashed. "You didn't actually think you could win did you?" 

  
"Hey witch!" Cody hit Karma in the back with a chair. Karma turned angrily and glared at Cody. 

  
She pointed a finger at her. "You, down." Cody slammed against the opposite wall. 

"Xander get up and deal with her." Karma said. 

  
Xander stood, his eyes red and his jaw set. He walked toward Cody and reached out to touch her face. 

He intended to kill her. 

Alex lost it. 

He pushed off the wall and shoved Karma to the ground, then, he pounced on Xander and hit him as hard as he could in the face and the stomach. 

"Cody, get out of here, now," Alex commanded. He didn't like to use his power on her but he didn't have time to argue. Cody grabbed Alex's keys from the floor and she rushed out. Karma watched but didn't bother to chase her. 

Alex posed as the immediate threat. 

Karma pointed at him. 

Alex looked back, his heart raced with fear. 

  
"Goodbye Alex," Karma smiled, and lightning flashed.   



	57. Help

Chapter 57: Help

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
Cody ran through the pouring rain to Alex's car and hopped in. She started the car and sped off. 

Where am I going? She wondered. I just left Alex back there. 

Grabbing Alex's cell from the side seat she dialed David and Riley's phone number. 

She remembered what Alex had said about them and knew they could help.   
  



	58. Ransom

Chapter 58: Ransom

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
David looked at his clock. 1:20 in the morning, he thought. Who'd be calling me at 1:20 in the morning. He reached for the phone but it stopped ringing. Sighing he stood and walked out of his bed room and rubbed his eyes. Riley sat in the living room by the speaker phone. 

  
"Hello," she said. 

  
"Riley, Alex is in trouble," the voice on the other line said. 

  
"Alex is in trouble, what? Who is this?" 

  
Dakota, who still sat on the couch with Stephanie, looked up. "Alex." 

  
"If you want him to live, Dakota needs to come to the woods, by the creek. He has twenty minuets, if he doesn't show, Alex dies." The phone clicked. 

Silence. 

  
Riley hit the button and stared at her father. "What do we do?" She asked. 

  
"Only one answer," Dakota said. "I go and none of you are going to stop me." He looked up half expecting to see David shaking his head and telling him no, but he didn't. 

  
"If you go, I'm going with you," David said. 

  
"But-" 

  
"Don't argue Dakota, you know I'll win," David cut him off. 

  
"You're letting him go?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"We have no other option." David replied. 

  
"You're not leaving me out of this," Kristopher said. "I have to give Karma a piece of my mind anyway." 

  
"Riley, you and Stephanie stay here, we'll be back." David said. 

  
Riley remained silent. I don't know how we're gonna win this one. 


	59. Contact

Chapter 59: Contact

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
  


"Dang-it!" Cody yelled at the phone. "The darn thing's busy. Who ever heard of not having call waiting?" 

  
She drove down the highway and rain slapped the windshield. Her wipers were going crazy and she could still hardly see through the window. Dear Lord please be with Alex, she prayed. 

  
Cody dialed the number again. 'Please pick up Riley, please,' Cody pleaded. 

  
"Hello?" 

  
"Riley, oh thank you Lord," Cody said. "Riley this is Cody, Alex is in trouble." 

  
"We know," Riley said flatly. "How did you?" 

  
"To make a long story short, I was with him when Xander and Karma went crazy, he told me to leave, so I did," Cody explained. 

  
"Alex told you everything didn't he?" Riley asserted. 

  
"Yeah, he did." 

  
"Well, don't worry too much about Alex, Xander and Karma want Dakota, not him. Dakota and David are on their way to meet them and some how save Alex." Riley said. 

  
"What should I do?" Cody asked. 

  
Riley thought for a moment. "Come over here, Stephanie's here." 

  
"Where's here?" 

  
Riley gave her directions then hung up. Cody's right, what can we do? one. 


	60. Empty Threats

Chapter 60: Empty Threats

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***

  
  
Alex tried to open his eyes but it did him no good, a blindfold of duck tape covered them. Darkness encompassed him. Every inch of his body hurt. He tried to move but to no avail, his hands and feet were taped as well. Frigid rain soaked his clothes and hair for the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours. The last thing he remembered was Karma's pointing finger and the pain that shot through his body. It felt like a thousand needles going through his veins and skin. 

What did she do to me? He wondered. 

  
"Good morning Alex," a smooth voice whispered in his ear. 

  
"Is that Karma?" Alex asked. "I can't tell." 

  
"You always did have a good attitude when you were in a dangerous situation, you should just hope it doesn't get you killed," the voice said. 

  
"So, you are going to kill me?" 

  
"Maybe," Karma taunted. "It all depends on Dakota." 

  
Alex sighed. "So I'm the bait is that it?" 

  
"You got it sweetie." 

  
"Can we kill him anyway?" Another voice asked. 

Xander. 

  
"We'll see," Karma replied. "If we do it'll be after we take Dakota to the Council." 

  
"You know, why even take Dakota to the Counsel," Xander asked. "Why don't we just kill him our way?" 

  
"Because, then we'd have to come up with a good explanation for the Council, and besides, Paul really wanted the opportunity to get a hold of him," Karma explained. 

  
"Uh, excuse me, the bait has a question," Alex said, he tried to adjust his position in the grass. 

  
"What?" Xander sounded annoyed. 

  
"Where are we?" 

  
"Listen," Karma suggested. 

  
Alex listened. He could hear flowing water and wet grass numbed him through his shirt. "I hate guessing games...in the woods, by ...water?" 

  
"Ooo, he's smarter than I thought," Karma laughed. 

  
"Can the bait ask another question?" 

  
"Go on." 

  
"Xander, why do you hate Dakota so much?" Something hard hit him in the face. 

Xander's shoe. 

Alex could taste the leather in his mouth, he spit. 

  
Xander grabbed him by the back of the neck, the power slowly left Alex's body. "You really want to know you little bastard?" The hatred filled his voice. "For one thing he's the epitome of everything that I despise, I get rid of people like that, the other reason is that he has the potential to become more powerful than me-" 

  
"And he's better than you and it drives you crazy," Alex finished, he struggled against the weakness. The shoe drove into his stomach. He tried not to think about his plan, Xander would read his mind, and then it would fail. 

  
"Dakota is not better than me." 

  
"Oh, but you know he is, while you're destroying he's been building up, sacrificing himself, he left so I wouldn't get in trouble," Alex coughed. 

  
Xander's hands clamped around his throat and he felt as if someone had sucked all the energy from his body. Then the icy sharp pain came. He didn't fight for his power, he simply let go. 

  
"Xander, off," Karma yelled. "Dead bait does us no good in this situation." 

  
Xander reluctantly let go and stood up. "Don't think you're off the hook." He said. 

  
"Empty threats," Alex laughed weakly. 

  
He heard Xander growl and take a few steps toward him. "Xander," Karma warned. 

  
"Where is he?" Xander asked impatiently. 

  
"He has five minutes, don't worry, he'll show." 

  
"And then," Xander said as he squatted down by Alex. "We can kill him, and you." He patted Alex on the cheek hard. "If he doesn't show, then we can kill him right?" 

  
"Don't worry Xander, I'm here." 

  
Alex turned his head in the direction of Dakota's voice. "Dakota, leave it's not worth it." 

  
"No, no, he can't leave now, he's got to come with us," Karma said. 

  
"First I have a few things to say to you." 

  
"Kristopher, what a pleasure," Karma said, she didn't try to hide the distaste in her voice. 

  
He paused and though for a moment. "Karma, I'll pray for you," Kris said. His eyes changed and he looked rather confused. 

  
"I'm overjoyed." 

  
"Okay Xander, Karma, you wanted me," Dakota said. 

  
"You, are coming with us," Xander said. 

  
"In more official terms, you are under arrest, blah, blah, blah and if you fight it we have the license to kill you so let's go," Karma said. 

  
Xander griped Dakota's arm. Karma dragged Alex to his feet, "You're coming with us too," she said. 

  
"What, wait, you said if I came-" 

  
"And you trusted me?" Karma gave him an evil smile. "Really, I thought you were smarter than that, let's go Xander." And with that, they disappeared into the forest.   
Kristopher looked at David, who stood in the shadows, watching. "So what do we do now?" 

  
"We get Riley, and we go fight this, the best we can." 

  
"Okay, let's go."   



	61. Insincere Apologies

Chapter 61: Insincere Apologies

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***  
  
Dakota lay on the wet floor of a small boat and looked between the metal bars at the water. The duck tape around his wrists cut the circulation from his hands. His body shook as the cold water splashed his face and he wind pushed against him. He could taste the salt on his lips. The boat rose above the waves at high speed, it seemed that they would leave the ocean and fly to the island where the Council held their meetings. He did not know where they had taken Alex, but he knew they had weaken him even more. 

Worry gripped his heart. 

The black sky remained his only companion. Xander squatted down and blocked Dakota's view of the ocean. His green eyes searched him with hate. 

  
"Xander," Dakota started. "I'm sorry if I did something to make you hate me, I really didn't..." 

  
Xander cut him short and grabbed his neck. More energy left him and the pain made it's presence known. Xander pulled away. "It's too late for your insincere apologies..." 

  
"They're not insincere," Dakota said weakly. 

  
Xander kicked him in the stomach. "People like you make me sick, you're always so high and mighty, you think you're so good, you self-righteous little freak!" 

  
This time the pain came from within. Self-righteous? He thought. Oh Lord please forgive me. But a voice came to mind; 'Don't listen to what Xander says, don't let him win.' Dakota inhaled and directed his eyes up to Xander's. 

  
Julia's voice rang in his head; "Sometimes people say things because they are hurting and all we can do is to reach out to them. Even if they throw sand in our face in the process." 

  
"The ball's in you court now Xander, I can't think of anything else to say but...I'm sorry," he shrugged. 

For a moment, Xander sat and stared at Dakota. A mix of puzzled hatred and frustration lingered in his eyes. Then Dakota saw something else, loneliness, sadness? Sorrow? For once in his life, Dakota felt sorry for Xander. He tried so desperately to find completion in disobedience, cruelty, sex. For the first time, Dakota wanted to help him. 

  
Show me how God, Dakota prayed. Show me how.   
  



	62. Secret Tunnel

Chapter 62: Secret Tunnel

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***  
  
Cold floor met Alex's face, pain burst through his nose. He rolled onto his back and spit the blood out of his mouth. "Dakota, you still there?" He wished that someone would take the tape off. 

  
"Nope, they took him to another cell, they don't trust me," a voice said. He sounded proud of that fact. 

  
So many voices, no faces. Alex thought. "Who's there?" 

  
"Jagger, cell guard," the voice said. 

  
"Oh yeah," Alex coughed again. "I remember you. Hey, could you do me a favor, I'm getting really tired of not being able to see, could you-ow!" 

  
Jagger ripped the tape off his face, then his arms and ankles. "Better?" 

  
Alex blinked and his eyes adjusted to the light. "Well I think I lost a few eyebrows and eyelashes but hey, I can see." Alex looked up at Jagger, he sat in a small chair with his arms crossed. Alex scooted back up against the cell wall, rubbed his wrists and breathed heavily. 

  
"You look like you hurt," Jagger observed. 

  
"Yeah, funny thing, when Xander and Karma get angry all hell breaks loose," Alex said laughing. 

  
"Oooo, you got caught up with those two huh? Not a good thing." Jagger sympathized. 

  
Alex sighed. "So what happens now?" 

  
"Well, they bring in some people to read exactly what laws you two have been accused of breaking, then they'll 'look at the facts' in the most 'unbiased' way possible, then they'll find y'all guilty and sentence you to whatever they deem a worthy punishment." 

  
"Great, you never were one to beat around the bush," Alex sighed. 

  
"Hey, things aren't pretty, so why make them look that way?" 

  
Alex sat and stared at the brick walls. The biggest thickest bricks ever made. No one, not even Kristopher, who could walk through solid objects, could get through the cell walls. Even Karma's superhuman strength could not break them. Escape, unthinkable. 

  
"Is there any way we can possibly help Dakota?" Alex asked. 

  
"Get rid of Paul and Ariel," Jagger said flatly. 

  
"Well if that's all," Alex laughed. "Impossible." Though everyone hated them, no one even thought about trying to 'impeach' them. "Any other suggestions?" 

  
Jagger sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this again," he stood, glanced around, then pushed a brick. Scraping and grinding of rock on rock made Alex cringe. It moved back to reveal a tunnel. He put his hand out to it. 

"This particular tunnel will show you the way to the outside world, however, I'm not letting you leave yet." 

  
Alex didn't know what to say. "Right. Now I'm lost, you show me a way out and...you won't let me take it?" 

  
"Two reasons, one, we can't get Dakota out too, and two, your friends are coming and they may convince the Council to let you go, and if not, then I'll let you go." Jagger explained. 

  
"But what if they can't convince them, Dakota can't escape," Alex worried. 

  
Silence filled the room for a moment. "It's time." Jagger stared. He saw past the walls and bars, past the dark rooms. 

  
"What?" 

  
Jagger looked at Alex. "Tomorrow it will have been fifty years since Paul and Ariel first became Council members, if David and Riley challenge them, they can take their places." 

  
"Will they?" 

  
"One can only hope."   



	63. Time Ended

Chapter 63: Time Ended

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***  
  
Dakota felt a soft, strong hand on his chin. When Xander shoved him into the cell he took so much of his power that Dakota passed out. 

Now, he opened his eyes and stared into the porcelain face of an angel, an angel from hell. 

Skin as white as chalk and hair almost the same color. The eyes that stared into his reminded him of Xander's; green, cold, and cruel. He knew her, he saw her the first time he came to the island. All the counsel meetings took place on an island no one knew about. If anyone did find it, the Counsel could zap their memories instantaneously, but normally no one found it. 

  
Dakota tried to speak but his voice cracked. He licked his lips. "Ariel." 

  
She smiled, a cruel smile, chilling. "Dakota, nice to see you're awake. Now we can...talk." Ariel said. 

She leaned back, the wooden chair grumbling, folded her arms, and crossed her legs. Dakota waited for her to begin, but she continued to stared at him. Her eyes went from his head to feet, then to his eyes. She tried to decide whether or not he posed as a real threat to her. 

  
"Should I start or are you going to?" Dakota asked. He tried to prop himself up but then he changed his mind. 

  
"You really don't know how much danger you are in do you?" She stated. 

  
"How do you mean?" Dakota asked. 

  
Ariel smiled, her white teeth shone. "Most prisoners who come in here are crying and begging to be released." She stood and put her hands on her hips. "The way you are acting I'd say you're either braver than most, or just plain ignorant." 

  
"Most people would vote ignorant in my case," he laughed. 

  
Her face remained stone. 

  
"Well tell me the possibilities." Dakota said. "What danger am I in?" 

  
"You're chances of escape are zero to none, all of the counsel members who really count, Paul, Karma, and me, hate you and want you dead, and..." 

  
"You're forgetting one thing Ariel." 

  
She turned. A small girl stood in the doorway. She smiled as though she knew something. 

"And what is that Candice?" Ariel glared at her. 

  
"It's time." She leaned her head forward causing her short red hair to fall over one green eye. 

  
"Candice, who's going to challenge me, you?" She laughed. "Sweet heart, you've lived long, but not long enough, I'm stronger than you'll ever be." 

  
Candice smiled again. "Are you stronger than David?" 

  
For a moment, Ariel's smile melted, then, it froze into a smile again. "David does not want to be a counsel member. He never has." 

  
"We shall see, won't we Ariel?" Candice said, her face did not change. 

  
"Run along Candice, don't get your hopes up," she flipped her hand. 

  
"Don't be so confident Ariel," Candice said quietly to herself as she turned and walked away. "Your time has ended."   



	64. Not as Dumb as Perceived

Chapter 64: Not as Dumb as Perceived 

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***  
  
"Me? Challenge Ariel? Surly, you jest." 

  
"Riley, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think that you had the power to do it," David insisted. 

  
"I can't take Ariel on, she'd kill me," Riley said. "I want to help Dakota I really do, but I can't take on Ariel. I'm-I'm not strong enough." She ran out of the apartment. 

  
Kristopher started out the door but David stopped him. "David let me talk to her," Kristopher pleaded. 

  
"No, I think we need to give her a minuet, just one minute." 

  
Outside Riley stood on the roof and let the rain soak her. Goose bumps marched up and down her arms. She thought about Ariel and shivered. One of the strongest people in the world and I'm the only one who will even think about facing her, Riley thought. She pictured Dakota, helpless with Paul and Ariel in charge. This is his only hope, it's the only way to save him, but what if... She couldn't bare the thought. 

Slowly she sunk to her knees, then laid on her back. 

What if I can't defeat her, what if I lose? Then Ariel will be ten times angrier because I tried to take her place and who knows what she'll do to Dakota. 

  
"And you were yelling at me for being on the roof." 

  
Riley rolled onto her stomach and looked up. Bip sat on the other side with his feet dangling off the edge. "How long have you been sitting there?" She asked. 

  
Bip cocked his head up and shut his eyes. "'Bout an hour. I go up here to think." He smiled to himself. "Contrary to popular belief I do think." He looked back at her. 

  
Riley stood and sat down next to him. "What do you think about?" 

  
Bip shut his eyes again. "My mom." 

  
Riley put her arm around Bip's shoulders. "You miss her don't you?" 

  
Bip nodded. "When she was in the hospital, I kept trying to find a way to help her," he sighed. "But there was nothing I could do. I was helpless." He raised his head, and looked at her. "You can save Dakota, you're not helpless." 

  
The eyes he stared into traveled down, and the brows lowered. "How'd you know I was thinking that?" She looked up at him. 

  
Bip smiled and squatted on the roof. "Two reasons, one: I'm not quite as dumb as I seem. Two: I hear everyone's thoughts, I just hide my power better than some." He stood, and before she could react, he climbed off the roof. 

  
Riley stared straight ahead, her mouth hung open. The rain dripped into it and she licked her lips. She shivered and cracked her knuckles. 

How did I not see that? She wondered. 

Bip's had powers all a long. Riley stood up, and rubbed her eyes, then followed him. He's right, she thought. Bip lost his mom, he couldn't do anything about it, but I can save Dakota, so I will. 

  
"Bip," Riley hopped down from the roof. He stood leaning on the door to her apartment talking to David. "How come you never told us you had powers?" 

  
The corners of his mouth turned up and the cheeks dimpled. His shoulders raised and fell. 

"I was surprised you didn't figure it out," he replied. 

  
"But why didn't you tell us, that's an important piece of information," Riley said. 

  
"I was trying to see if I had the power to hide it from people, apparently I can." 

  
"Well we don't have time to discuss this," David said, and turned to Riley. "What have you decided to do?" 

  
"Did you actually think I'd let Ariel scare me away?" Riley asked. 

  
Kristopher raised his eyebrows. "Well, some people were getting worried," he said with a smile. "But I didn't give up on you." 

  
"I'm going to ignore that comment," David said. 

  
"So what's our plan of attack?" Riley asked, looking back an forth from Kristopher to David. "We do have a plan don't we?" 

  
"Of course," Danny said as he rose from the couch. "It's really quite simple, we go to court."   
  



	65. Court

Chapter 65: Court 

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***  
  
The smooth wood of the court room bench chilled Dakota all the way through his wet jeans and he shivered. The handcuffs, which now replaced the duck tape, certainly did not help things. The icy metal cut into his skin. The Council had ordered that all his power be taken away, but Xander had gone above and beyond. Had he taken much more and they would not had to have a trial. 

  
Dakota glanced around the room. To his right, three wooden benches, much like the one on which he sat, overflowed with elders and in a corner, a cell guard leaned against the wall reading a magazine. The judge and Alex still remained absent. Dakota felt the walls inch closer and closer to him with every passing moment. Behind him twenty people sat whispering to each other as more slid in. 

  
A long list of rules hung on the opposite wall. The yellow, wrinkled paper dated back to the first Council of elders, and the lettering could now hardly be read. He focused on the top rule. 

It stated : For purposes of safety, none of the superior race will be allowed to tell a normal human of our power. Penalty for offense: life sentence and death of the human.   
His eyes wandered to the next rule. It stated: For the purposes of safety none of the superior race will be allowed to court or marry one from the normal human race. Penalty for offense: death of both the offender and the human. 

  
Dakota looked down at his callused hands. "I knowingly endangered Julia..." He cracked his knuckled and bit his lip angrily. "Why did I even think I could hide it from the elders?" 

  
"To err is human." 

  
He turned to the quiet voice. David stood bent down near his ear. "To forgive divine," Dakota finished. "But that part has nothing to do with this situation. What are you doing here David?" 

  
"To watch you be unjustly judged and sentenced to death," David raised his eyebrows. 

"Come now Dakota, do you actually think we'd let you suffer this fate?" 

  
"We?" 

  
David nodded to the back row. Dakota turned slightly, his neck ached. Riley, Danny, Kristopher, and Bip sat watching the crowd intently. Kristopher and Riley spoke quietly to one another. Kristopher dropped a large black book into her hands, stood and walked over to the elders to take his place. 

"What's Bip doing here?" 

  
David grinned and shook his head. "I don't have time to explain, let's just say he's our secret weapon." 

  
"Bip? What are you going to do? What can you do?" He studied David's face. The lines of worry had deepened but his black eyes glittered with an excitement Dakota had not yet seen in them before. 

  
"Just watch." David straightened and glanced over at the Council . Ariel looked up and their eyes met for a moment. Her brows dropped together to form a V and her eyes widened. Thunder murmured and the tables shook slightly. The sound of creaking doors made them turn. 

Jagger came in half dragging Alex. When they caught sight of David the two stopped, looked at each other with unreadable eyes, then laughed uncontrollably, and in vain tried to suppress it. Once they caught hold of them selves again they joined Dakota on the hard bench. 

  
"What in the world was that?" Dakota asked. 

  
"I knew they'd come, I knew it, you thought he wouldn't come to take his place and he did, now he's gonna kick Ariel's-" 

  
"All rise!" Instantly, like robots, the entire court room hopped to their feet. Paul, dressed in a long black robe that dragged along the ground, mounted the steps to his seat behind the stand. He sat, as did the rest of the courtroom, except for two people: David and Riley. 

Silent, David raised his finger and pointed at Paul. A look of utter fear mastered Paul's face but he then caught himself. 

  
"David Austin, you cannot challenge me in this courtroom," Paul began. "You are going against-" 

  
"No, actually Paul," Riley said opening the black book. "You are going against the rules. Section 5.B subsection 6 states that if a person's fifty years as one of the Council leaders is up (that would be right now, for it is 12:00 o'clock a.m.), he...or she, must not hold any meetings, make any decisions, or hold trials until their position has been either confirmed or denied by exactly midnight of the next day. During this time their decisions may be made by a Council member just below them unless their fifty years is up, blah, blah, blah. All that means is that Kristopher will make your decisions for the time being. Therefore, my father and I, or any other challengers, have every right to call off this trial, and challenge you right now." 

  
Paul narrowed his eyes and stood, his lips stretched into a thin line. "Very well, this court is adjourned until further notice," he stated. "Challenges will begin in the Central Room in five minuets." 

  
Dakota looked up at David. "I heard somewhere you didn't want to be a Council member," he commented as he attempted to stand up. 

  
David grabbed his arm and helped him gain his balance. "Well, under the circumstances, the Council needs a change, and I'm willing to bring it." 

  
"Excuse me David, but I have to take the prisoner to his cell," Xander grabbed Dakota by the arm and jerked him away. 

  
David's eyes flashed bright white, and it seemed to Dakota and Xander that he had grown taller. He stood before them untouchable, holding the power to cast down those that would oppose him. 

"Xander, I believe that I am your authority, and have the right to request his, and Alex's, presence when I challenge Paul. Therefore, he will be there, is that clear?" 

  
Xander licked his lips. He seemed to have shrunk and though he tried to conceal it, his eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. "Of course, um...he'll be there," Xander stuttered in his moment of shear terror. 

  
The shadow passed and David returned to himself. "Very good, so let's not waste time, we need to be out there." 

  
Though David no longer stood tall and terrifying, Dakota noticed a slight change in his countenance. The lines of worry he normally bore now left his face almost entirely and he held his back straighter. Even now, after that slight unveiling of his power, Dakota felt that David had dropped some heavy chain and was no longer necessarily safe. 

  
"Dakota, did you see that?" Alex whispered in his ear as they walked down the hallway towards the Central Room. Their footsteps echoed on the marble floor. Everything smelled extremely clean. 

  
"You mean when David ceased to be the David we knew before, heck yeah," Dakota said. 

  
They entered a large, round room. The Council members had already lined up around the outer circle of the room. The only lights in the room were torches that stuck out from the brick walls and did not cast much light at all. A long time ago an artist of impeccable talent spent hours in this room creating a beautiful mosaic in the center circle on the floor. It rivaled anything one might see in their history text book or a museum. 

The first Council members starred up at the ceiling from the floor and into the faces of the challengers. They gave off a foreboding feeling that either terrified the challengers off the floor, or gave them a new confidence to defeat their adversary. 

Dakota took a deep breath and collapsed against the wall. David grabbed his arm to keep him from falling to the floor, then helped him to slowly slide to the ground. 

  
"Don't worry kid, someone bigger than me's got this one, we won't loose." David said, then straightening up, he held his head high and turned around. 

  
Alex slid down beside Dakota and leaned over. "What's gonna happen?" 

  
"I'm not exactly sure." 

  
Jagger squatted down. "Paul will ask for any challenges, then David will challenge him. After that's over, Ariel will ask for any challengers, and Riley will challenge her. Then, Riley and Ariel will fight, whoever looses...well, dies, and who.." 

  
"Dies?" Dakota's head jerked forward. 

  
"Well it's not a rule, but neither is gonna give up, so one will have to die, I hope anyway," Jagger explained. "As I was saying, then, David and Paul will fight. And that will be it, unless there are any other challengers." 

  
Alex breathed out sharply. "God have mercy." 

  
"Attention," Paul hit his large, wooden staff on the ground. "The time of challenges is beginning." He walked out into the middle of the ring. "Do I have any challengers?" 

  
For a moment silence filled the room, along with it came a thick tension. Finally, David stepped forward and pointed at Paul as he had done in the courtroom. 

"Paul Rundér, you have abused your power as Head Council or, and I challenge you to a battle of powers." 

  
At this point even Paul's skin crawled and his face went white. David's countenance commanded so much respect that no one could stand up to him without his knees knocking. But Paul set his jaw and hardened his eyes. 

"Very well, so be it. Next Council or challenge." 

  
Ariel stepped forward as Paul backed down into his seat at the head of the room. "Do I have any challengers." Thunder shook the room yet again. 

  
Riley now stood and pointed at Ariel as her father did. "Ariel Riviera, you are unworthy of you position and I challenge you to a battle of powers." 

Dakota had to look at her twice. Her normally serene blue eyes flashed a blue light that he had never seen before. Light seemed not to shine on her face but to project from it. All who looked upon her found her both beautiful and terrifying. The small scared child that stood there before disappeared entirely. 

  
Ariel laughed quietly. "Take your best shot sweet heart." 

  
The faced each other at either end of the mosaic. Their eyes connected and they stood unmoving, fists clenched, brows sloped down. They studied each other, and tried to break into the other's thoughts. Riley barricaded her mind and reached forward into Ariel's. She started slow, as if picking through a haystack to find a hair pin. Then her small, pink lips stretched into a smile and her eyebrows relaxed. Ariel squinted her's more and laughed bitterly inside. 

She thinks she's got me, she mused. Hardly. 

Dakota held his breath and Alex leaned forward at every passing second looking from one to the other. The room filled with a blinding light and everyone covered their eyes. When they opened them, Ariel laid on the floor, still as a corpse. 

A unanimous gasp swept through the room. 

Riley collapsed to the ground. David and Kris helped her up and both gave her a hug. 

Paul felt a quiver go through his heart as David's black eyes pinned him where he sat. Kris helped Riley to the seat next to him, where Ariel had sat. 

  
"What, what happened, is Ariel dead?" Alex asked. 

  
"Uh- I have no idea, I've never seen anything like that before," Jagger said. 

Even his eyes did not leave the still body. He stood and walked slowly over to her, then bent down. His pointer and middle finger touched her neck. The heart beat fluttered against them. 

"She's alive, but defeated none the less." He stood and stated louder, "The law clearly states that like in the rules of a boxing match, laugh if you will, if one person is down for more that ten seconds, they automatically lose. Riley is a new Council member." 

Silence again filled the room. Ariel, the second most powerful being on the face of the earth, had been defeated. 

Jagger grinned and turned to Paul. "Well, you've seen what his daughter can do, now it's your turn." 

  
Paul raised out of his chair and walked to the middle of the circle as Jagger dragged Ariel out of the way to the metrics that stood by. 

  
"Riley, what would you have us do with her?" One of the medics asked. 

  
"See if you can help her," Riley said weakly. "If you can put her in the dungeon when she's healed." 

  
The medics carried her out. David shut his eyes for a moment and knelt down. "God, give me your strength, may this victory be for-" another blinding beam of light filled the room. 

When it passed, David lay on the floor. 

  
"No," Dakota whispered under his breath.   



	66. Car Chase

Chapter 66: Car Chase

PLEASE Read and Review! Thade182, Beth, Laura, and Layne...I love you! 

***  
  
Paul laughed. "So much for him, I reign supreme!" He shouted. 

Paul walked towards David's still body and seemed to tower over him now. But the smile on his melted away. 

David pushed himself up without bending at all and grew to his full height, and then some. He looked down at Paul and put his pointer finger to his chest. "This is why you are not worthy of being a counsel member, much less, Head of the Counsel." 

  
Paul crumpled backwards to the ground power sweeping out of him, but then yelled loudly, "Xander! Karma!" 

  
Xander jumped from his position on the floor and started for Dakota and Alex. But Karma stayed seated. 

  
David raised his hand, he could not physically stop them but he could help Alex and Dakota. Their chains fell off and power filled them. 

"Run!" David yelled. "Kris, Riley, get them to the cars." 

  
Kris and Riley had already started to follow them. David stood in the room for a moment. 

I can't help you on this one Dakota, it's your fight now. 

  
The cold night air slapped Dakota in the face as he Alex, Riley, and Kris left the building out the back door. They ran towards The Lot. The Lot held some of the best and fastest sports cars ever invented. About three miles or so from The Lot, right before the shore the road sloped down into The Tunnel, which went all the way to the mainland. It never emerged on the mainland, but ended in a garage under ground. There you could exit through a secret door that lead to the subway system. 

  
"Dakota, red Corvette, Stephanie's in it." Riley threw him a set of keys. 

  
Stephanie? He thought. Oh well, I'll ask questions later. 

  
Kris threw a set of keys to Alex for a navy blue Viper and he and Riley jumped into a yellow Firebird. Alex jumped in and gasped. "Cody, wha-" 

  
"Just drive, they're coming!" She yelled buckling up. 

  
Alex looked back and watched as Xander jumped into his black Jaguar. He revved his engine and shot off after Dakota who now followed Riley and Kris. Cody leaned over and kissed Alex on the cheek. 

"I thought you were dead." 

  
"Nope, and almost all in one piece." He glanced at her. 

  
"Keep you eyes on the road buster," she laughed. 

  
Xander passed Alex and sped closer to Dakota and Stephanie. Alex looked back to see David pass him up in a silver Porsche. He drove parallel to Dakota now. 

  
"Thanks for coming Steph., you're really risking you neck being here," Dakota smiled. 

  
"I will always come, you don't have to worry." 

  
"You're a good friend. But why did you come?" 

  
"I'm not sure, I just had to, strange feeling." 

  
Dakota glanced up and looked in his rearview mirror. I have to stop this, I have to face him. Alex, get out from behind Xander now. He sent his message. 

  
Alex's brows furrowed, but for some reason he understood. Quickly, he pulled out from behind them and followed David. 

  
"I'm gonna end this crap right now." 

  
"Sorry?" Stephanie asked. 

  
"I'm gonna push you out of my car." 

  
Stephanie looked at Dakota puzzled. "What?" 

  
"Just trust me." 

  
Stephanie's door unlocked and flung itself open. Her seatbelt undid and the next thing she knew cold, wet, grass soaked her pants. She stood maybe ten feet away from the cars. 

Dakota sped up nearly passing Riley and Kris. 

Xander tailgated him, mistake. Dakota slammed on his brakes. 

An explosion filled the air as the two cars collided and Stephanie fell to the ground covering her ears. Warmth coating the air. When she looked up a cloud of smoke and flame erupted into the sky. 

  
"Dakota!" She yelled, but did not dare to venture to his flaming car. 

All the other cars skidded and wheeled around. The drivers jumped halfway out to see what had happened. Then, the roof of Dakota's car slightly wrenched open, and he crawled out, his clothes torn and dirty. Stephanie's mouth dropped and she walked in the direction of the crash. The other car then burst open and Xander crawled out of their ruin. He walked close to Dakota. Their noses nearly touched. Dakota could see the fury in his eyes. 

  
"Decided to take up your own fight Stevens?" He asked walking around him looking him over. "You gonna fight me? Huh?" Xander's hand shot at Dakota's neck, but he found himself on his back. 

Dakota held his wrist tight, then pulled him up. 

Xander ripped his hand away and swung full force at his face. He caught air. When he looked up Dakota stood to his other side. Xander tackled him and entered him mind. Dakota... his taunting voice came. 

  
I don't think so Xander, not this time. 

Dakota forced upwards and pinned him on his back. Stephanie's heart raced as they rolled, one on top, then the other. Even at his best Dakota's speed and strength still did not surpass Xander's. A fist to the face crushed the bones in Dakota's jaw and he paused for a moment. Xander twisted one arm behind his back, then clamped his hand around Dakota's throat. 

/It's time to go home to Julia Dakota. Just give up, you failed her then and you'll fail everyone else now. That's what you get for loving vermin./

A fire burned in Dakota like none he'd ever know before. All the anger, all the sadness, all the fear exploded inside of him. Though every ounce of power and human strength left him he could not let Xander win. God give me your strength. He let out a yell, incomprehensible to everyone else around him. Some invisible force threw Xander up and off Dakota, and rendered him senseless on the ground. 

Stephanie sighed with relief, and everyone drew in. Dakota lay gasping for breath on the ground. Stephanie knelt beside him. 

  
"No, no, you won, you...he's gonna be OK isn't he? Isn't he?" She asked looking up at David. 

  
"Riley and Kris, get everyone else out of here, you know what to do," David said. 

  
"But-" Alex stopped at the look David gave him. 

  
"What about Xander?" Kris asked. 

  
"Same thing Riley said earlier," Dakota said. 

  
Kris nodded. They all got into the remaining cars and drove away. Only David's remained. He squatted down beside Dakota and looked him over. His body had shrunk and all the color left his skin. 

  
"That...came out of nowhere, didn't it," Dakota swallowed. "I didn't think I had that...in me." 

  
"That, was the beginning of what Riley and I did in the challenges, you would have been a counsel member." David sighed, and smiled sadly. 

  
"Man, guess I gotta live then," Dakota laughed. 

  
"Dude, I don't think you're gonna pull through." 

  
Dakota laughed. "Your vote of confidence.." he coughed and breathed deeply, "is overwhelming." 

  
"Well, let's get you to the medics, there's still hope left." David half dragged Dakota to his car and they drove towards the building. 

Thunder rumbled. 

The End!!!!!

Author's Notes: Okay, at this point many of you are probably very, very angry with me. Never fear loyal readers! There is not only a sequel, but a third book in the series as well. The second story is called Revealed and the third is called Vengeance. The first few chapters of Revealed should be up as soon as I can edit it. If you would like me to email you when it is posted please state so in the review! Thanks so much for taking the time to read my stuff. It is a real blessing when people read your work and like it too. 


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